HARTFORD, Conn. (Nov. 29, 2022) — Access Health CT (AHCT) today announced it will host nine enrollment fairs in December to help Connecticut residents shop, compare and enroll or renew their health coverage during the current Open Enrollment period. Enrollment fairs offer free, in-person help from enrollment specialists and will take place in Branford, Bridgeport, Bristol, Danbury, Middletown, New Britain, Norwich, Torrington and West Hartford.
Last week I noted that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finally released their first 2023 Open Enrollment Period report, which included 3.0 million Qualified Health Plan (QHP) enrollees through 11/19/22 for the 33 states hosted by HealthCare.Gov plus another 387,000 QHP enrollees via the 18 state-based ACA exchanges.
In a footnote, the press release also noted that around 1.07 million New Yorkers have enrolled in NY's ACA-created Basic Health Plan (BHP) program, which is designed specifically for people who earn between 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) (the cut-off for ACA-expanded Medicaid eligibility) and 200% FPL.
Access Health CT Waives Requirement for Certain Small Businesses to Enroll in a Group Health Insurance Plan Through December 15
Small businesses can enroll in group health insurance at any time of year, but they usually need a certain percentage of employees to participate in the plan
HARTFORD, Conn. (Nov. 23, 2022) — Access Health CT (AHCT) Small Business today announced it will waive the minimum number of employees typically required to enroll in a small group health insurance plan now through Dec. 15.
Small businesses can enroll in a group health insurance plan at any time of year. However, they usually need a certain percentage of employees to participate in the plan. During this period, any small business with 50 or fewer employees in Connecticut can enroll in a group health insurance plan regardless of how many employees participate.
Executive Board votes to cut copays to $5, no deductibles
Washington, DC–The DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (DCHBX) Executive Board unanimously voted to adopt recommendations based on the work of the DCHBX Standard Plans Working Group to help address health disparities in pediatric mental health treatment. Starting in Plan Year 2024, children covered by a standard plan on DC Health Link will only have a $5 copay, with no deductibles, for outpatient mental health visits, including specialist visits, and no limit on the number of visits. Additionally, this vote reduces prescription copays for child mental health care to $5, with no deductibles.
The action taken by DCHBX means that parents who had copays as high as $45 for their children's mental health visits will only pay $5 starting in 2024. Additionally, parents who were paying as high as $25 in copays for even the lowest-cost generic prescriptions for their children, will have only a $5 copay starting in 2024.
New Yorkers Enrolling by December 15 will be Covered on January 1
ALBANY, N.Y. (November 23, 2022) – NY State of Health, the state's official health plan Marketplace, is working with food pantries for the sixth consecutive holiday season to help consumers access high-quality, affordable health insurance for the upcoming year. Certified enrollment specialists will be available at food pantries across the state during November and December to provide consumers with enrollment assistance. Consumers must enroll by December 15, 2022, for health coverage starting January 1, 2023.
Completed applications/ redeterminations processed through the integrated eligibility system: 8,128
I've never been entirely sure what the "Acquisition Summary" figure refers to, but I've confirmed that it's already included in the larger number.
It looks like Access Health CT has gone ahead and added their "front-loaded" auto-renewal enrollment in this update after several weeks of not doing so.
One of the most inane restrictions of the ACA in my view, as I noted in my "If I Ran the Zoo" wish list back in 2017, is that it doesn't allow undocumented immigrants to enroll in ACA marketplace health plans ("Qualified Health Plans" or QHPs).
I don't just mean that they aren't eligible for federal financial subsidies--that's a prohibition which I can at least understand, even if I don't agree with it. I mean that they aren't allowed to enroll in ACA exchange-based QHPs even at full price, as noted in Section 1312(f)(3):
(3) Access limited to lawful residents.--If an individual is not, or is not reasonably expected to be for the entire period for which enrollment is sought, a citizen or national of the United States or an alien lawfully present in the United States, the individual shall not be treated as a qualified individual and may not be covered under a qualified health plan in the individual market that is offered through an Exchange.
Usually during the annual ACA Open Enrollment Period, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issue weekly "snapshot" reports of how enrollment is going via the federal ACA exchange (HealthCare.Gov).
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly 40% Increase in New Sign-Ups on HealthCare.Gov
Today, during his remarks on lowering costs for American families, President Biden announced that the number of new enrollees who have signed up for high-quality, affordable health insurance on HealthCare.Gov is up almost 40% compared to the same time last year.
...HHS will release the first formal report on Open Enrollment data next Tuesday, November 22.
ROCHESTER, Minn.—Individuals and families in southeastern Minnesota are poised to save hundreds of dollars on monthly premiums next year when they purchase health coverage and take advantage of premium tax credits only available through MNsure. At a press conference in Rochester today, MNsure CEO Nate Clark shared the news that tax credits in southeastern Minnesota are going up by $120/month, on average, in 2023 for eligible households in the 10-county area including Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Steele, Wabasha and Winona counties.
On average, eligible households in southeastern Minnesota are projected to save $860/month, or about $10,320/year, thanks to the larger tax credits in 2023. In other words, eligible Minnesotans will pay about 10% less on premiums next year than they pay currently, and that can mean big savings for the small business owners, gig workers, farmers and other Minnesotans that MNsure serves.
via the Health & Human Services Dept. (via email, no link yet):
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly 40% Increase in New Sign-Ups on HealthCare.Gov
Today, during his remarks on lowering costs for American families, President Biden announced that the number of new enrollees who have signed up for high-quality, affordable health insurance on HealthCare.Gov is up almost 40% compared to the same time last year. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra released the following statement on today’s Open Enrollment announcement:
“We are off to a strong start - and we will not rest until we can connect everyone possible to health care coverage this enrollment season. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action to expand access to health care, and ensure everyone can have the peace of mind that comes with being insured. With four out of five people eligible for coverage at $10 or less, do not miss your opportunity to sign up for high-quality, affordable health care. We urge everyone to visit HealthCare.gov and find the coverage that meets your needs.”
