New York: 247.4K QHPs, 776.5K BHPs, 413.6K CHPs thru 12/15

Yup, sure enough, the state-based exchange data is coming in fast & furious...thanks to Dan Goldberg for this (no official link/press release yet):

@charles_gaba NY numbers: QHP =247,411; EP = 776,481; CHP =413,576; Medicaid = 3,283,564 .... with 6 weeks before open enrollment ends NY is turning in strong numbers despite higher prices.

— Dan Goldberg (@DanCGoldberg) December 17, 2018

Here's the official press release:

Press Release: NY State of Health Reaches Record Enrollment Level: More Than 4.7 Million New Yorkers Enrolled
Dec 17, 2018

• Combined Enrollment in a Qualified Health Plan and Essential Plan Exceeds 1 Million for the First Time
• Nearly 19,000 Consumers Sign Up for Health Coverage on Saturday, December 15, the last day to enroll for Jan 1 coverage

ALBANY, N.Y. (December 17, 2018)—NY State of Health, New York’s official health plan Marketplace, today announced that enrollment reached 4.7 million at close of business on December 15, the deadline for January 1, 2019 coverage. Enrollment volumes in Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) and the Essential Plan (EP) continue to outpace last year’s levels with over 83,000 more people enrolled compared to the same day last year.  In addition, over 16,000 people enrolled in QHPs and EP on December 15, bringing the combined enrollment in these two programs to more than 1 million consumers (1,023,892), which is the highest level to date.

“Despite the constant threats to the Affordable Care Act, New York’s health insurance Marketplace stands strong,” said NY State of Health Executive Director, Donna Frescatore. “More than a million consumers have already enrolled in a Qualified Health Plan or the Essential Plan during New York’s 2019 open enrollment period, proof that New Yorkers want access to high quality, affordable care that they deserve.”

On Saturday, December 15, the last day to enroll for January 1 coverage, nearly 19,000 individuals signed up for coverage across all NY State of Health programs. Enrollment through December 15, 2018 is as follows:

• Qualified Health Plans: 247,411
• Essential Plan: 776,481
• Child Health Plus: 413,576
• Medicaid: 3,283,564
• Total: 4,721,032

In addition, enrollment among small employers has also hit a milestone, exceeding 10,000 employer groups with a SHOP eligibility determination through December 15, 2018.  The Small Business Marketplace now offers more plan options than ever (over 2,000 products offered by 9 insurers) and new flexibility to enroll directly with NY State of Health certified brokers or directly with insurers.

Sidenote: Even I mostly stopped trying to track SHOP enrollments a couple of years ago; only a half-dozen states bother reporting the numbers and they've always been pretty anemic in most of the rest, never amounting to more than perhaps 200,000 or so nationally...but CA, NY, RI, MN, VT and especially DC (special case) still seem to be chugging along.

The NY State of Health website and Customer Service Center have both experienced high traffic volumes. Between November 1 and December 15, 2018, the Customer Service Center received over 820,000 calls, with more than 66,000 calls in the final two days before the December 15 deadline. Similarly, during the same period, on the NY State of Health website, there were over 45 million page views and over 1 million unique website users.

Enrollment in a Qualified Health plan continues through January 31, 2019. New York’s enrollment window is twice as long as the federal marketplace, giving consumers more time to shop for the best health coverage for themselves and their families. Enrollment in the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus and Medicaid continues throughout the year.

For information on enrollment eligibility or to enroll in a health plan, visit nystateofhealth.ny.gov, call the Customer Service Center at 1-855-355-5777 or contact an enrollment assistor. NY State of Health representatives will be available at many events across the state to educate New Yorkers about the Marketplace, and to enroll consumers in health plans. A list of locations is available on the events map.

Once again, a SBE is running ahead of last year...around 8% ahead to be precise (from last year's 12/15 update):

Enrollment is as follows: 

• Qualified Health Plans: 229,000
• Essential Plan: 716,000
• Child Health Plus: 364,000
• Medicaid: 2,871,000
• Total: 4,180,000

Wow! Not only are QHPs up 8% year over year, but BHPs (Basic Health Plan, called the Essential Plan in NY) are up 8.4%, Child Health Plus enrollment (NY-specific...this was the basis for the national CHIP program) is up a whopping 13.6% and Medicaid enrollment is up 14.4%!