Just over a month ago, I noticed that the Washington Healthplanfinder was touting the fairly impressive launch of their new "Cascade Care" healthcare plans overall (40% of new enrollees were choosing them!)...but that completely missing from all the praise was any breakout of how many were selecting the Public Option version of "Cascade Care"...likely for a very good reason:
Let's step back a moment: There's actually up to three types of policies being offered depending on the carrier:
Qualified Health Plans (QHPs)...these are the normal policies which comply with ACA regulations offered by most carriers.
Cascade (Standard)...these are QHPs which also follow another state law passed last year (see below), and
Cascade (Select)...these are Standardized QHPs which are also public option plans.
Here's the distinction between Cascade "standard" and Cascade "select":
The "final" OEP numbers are gonna be a little fuzzy in some state-based exchanges this year, of course. Several states had OEP deadlines which extended past the federal one as usual, including some which didn't end until January 31st. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, several of those states went gone ahead and bumped their deadlines out further yet, through as late as March for Maryland and New York.
Then last week, of course, the Biden Administration announced that HealthCare.Gov is re-opening enrollment for a full three months starting on February 15th, and a bunch of state exchanges scrambled to announce their own additional re-openings or extensions...some of which already overlapped with those 1/31 deadlines.
Washington Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) announced today it will open a special enrollment period that parallels the new federal enrollment period which runs from Feb. 15 through May 15, 2021.
“Having health insurance is critically important in these challenging times of COVID,” said Chief Executive Officer Pam MacEwan. “Opening a corresponding special enrollment period in our state gives more uninsured Washingtonians the chance to get needed coverage for 2021.”
The special enrollment period will apply to anyone seeking health insurance coverage. Individuals shopping for coverage during this special enrollment period that select coverage by the 15th of the month will begin receiving coverage the first of the following month.
2021 Open Enrollment for Health Coverage Ends This Friday
Act before midnight, Jan. 15, to secure health insurance for this year
Washington Healthplanfinder is alerting all Washingtonians still seeking health insurance that they have until midnight, Jan. 15, to select a health and dental plan for the upcoming 2021 plan year. Coverage for those who enroll before the deadline will start Feb. 1.
“This is the last call for any individuals and families who have not signed up for a health and dental plan,” said Chief Executive Officer Pam MacEwan. “With only a few hours remaining before the deadline, people that still need 2021 coverage should sign up before it is too late.”
Last Days before Washington Healthplanfinder Open Enrollment Deadline
With the Jan. 15 deadline looming, Washingtonians still seeking 2021 health coverage must act now to select a plan on Washington Healthplanfinder. Customers have less than three days to shop for coverage that begins Feb. 1.
Traffic on Washington Healthplanfinder continues to be brisk this week as customers rush ahead of Friday’s deadline. So far, over 218,000 Washingtonians have signed up for 2021 coverage, including more than 40,000 new customers.
“The surge of enrollees securing health and dental coverage has been steady and shows the impact that the pandemic has had on our state,” said Chief Executive Officer Pam MacEwan. “There is limited time left for those who still haven’t enrolled in coverage and I encourage them to review their options on Washington Healthplanfinder.”
Record number of Washingtonians secured health insurance coverage through Washington Healthplanfinder in 2020
In a year defined by a health crisis, 2020 saw more than two million Washingtonians enrolled in Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) and Qualified Health Plans. This is a new record high number of individuals and families obtaining health coverage through Washington Healthplanfinder, the online portal administered by the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange). Over 1 in 4 Washingtonians are using Washington Healthplanfinder to find and enroll in health coverage. Open enrollment for 2021 coverage runs through Jan. 15 of this year with coverage starting Feb. 1.
Approximately two million residents received free or low-cost Apple Health coverage, and the remaining 215,000 enrolled in Qualified Health Plans. This past December saw an average of 1,500 individuals a day enrolled in Apple Health.
Washington Healthplanfinder Sees Surge in Customers as Final 2021 Deadline Approaches
Select a plan by Jan. 15 for coverage that begins Feb. 1
People statewide flocked to Washington Healthplanfinder this week to beat the Dec. 15 deadline for health coverage that would start the first of the year. With that date now passed, Washingtonians still seeking 2021 health coverage have until Jan 15, 2021 to shop on Washington Healthplanfinder for coverage that begins February 1.
“We were glad to see the large number of enrollees come in and secure coverage that starts Jan. 1,” said Chief Executive Officer Pam MacEwan. “This year, in response to the public health emergency, we are providing additional time for those who didn’t enroll prior to Dec. 15 to sign up for 2021 coverage over the next month.”
It's turned into an annual tradition: The official annual ACA Open Enrollment Period (OEP) runs from November 1st - December 15th, but most of the state-based ACA exchanges have later deadlines. hThen, right around the 12/15 point, it begins: One by one, some of the state-based exchanges announce further extensions of their deadlines to #GetCovered for the upcoming year.
In some cases they simply bump out the deadline for coverage starting in January, with the final "hard" deadline for February or March coverage staying where it is. In other cases they were never allowing Open Enrollment start dates past January to begin with, so it's the hard deadline which is being extended.
In any event, here's this year's batch of announcements; note that this list could grow longer over the next week or two:
Washington Healthplanfinder Urges Customers to Act Now for Jan. 1 Health Coverage
People need to enroll in their desired 2021 health plan by midnight, Tuesday Dec. 15
Washington Healthplanfinder is urging individuals needing 2021 health and dental coverage beginning Jan. 1 that they have less than 36 hours to take action and sign up. Customers wanting coverage that starts Jan.1 must select a plan through Washington Healthplanfinder by 11:59 p.m. this Tuesday, Dec. 15.
“For those who have left this decision to the last minute, now is the time to sign up for 2021 health and dental coverage,” said the Exchange Chief Executive Officer Pam MacEwan. “There are plenty of resources available to help people understand their options and secure health insurance coverage.”
