Utah ACA Enrollment For 2019 Remains Steady with Last Year
In the face of deliberate sabotage efforts and threats Utah enrollment surpasses expectations, demonstrating the high public demand for quality, affordable healthcare
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2018
CONTACT:
Stacy Stanford
Utah Health Policy Project
Call: 801-718-6130
Email: stacy@healthpolicyproject.org
Today the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released
numbers
from the final week of this year's open enrollment showing that
194,813
Utahns have selected plans through the healthcare.gov marketplace.
This puts sign-ups for the Utah 2019 "OE6" open enrollment period
right in line
with last year's numbers. Initial enrollment had appeared to be lagging in Utah and across the US, but today's release shows that sign-ups continue to keep pace with prior years-- regardless of the elimination of the individual mandate penalty, the spread of non-ACA-compliant short term plans, legal threats, and countless acts of sabotage.
When comparing 2018 final enrollment numbers (after people pay their first premium) with 2019's preliminary numbers (the people selecting a plan, before paying premium) we see a slight uptick, from 194,118 to 194,813. When looking at 2018 preliminary (195,121) compared with 2019 preliminary numbers there is a slight decrease of 308. When 2019's final total is released, we could see numbers go up or down slightly compared to 2018's final total.
Either way, the preliminary
fluctuation is less than 1,000
, and so the overall conclusion is that enrollment has remained consistent and the ACA individual marketplace is still thriving in Utah.
"We are really happy with these numbers," said Randall Serr, Take Care Utah Director. "We work all year long to help Utahns access health care. Even with the confusion and repeal efforts Utahns came out in droves to sign up for health insurance through the marketplace."
"There is just as much demand as ever for ACA insurance in Utah," said Matt Slonaker, Executive Director at Utah Health Policy Project. "It is good, affordable health care, and Utahns know it. In the face of congressional, legal, and administrative threats and undermining, the Affordable Care Act is still standing, and Utahns still realize how important it is to get covered."
It is worth noting that for many Utah customers it was more affordable to go “off market” this year and purchase plans directly from insurers rather than through the healthcare.gov marketplace if they did not qualify for subsidies. Consequently, total individual marketplace enrollment numbers may end up being even higher than the CMS numbers.
Media Contacts:
Stacy Stanford
Health Policy Analyst, Utah Health Policy Project
Cell: 801-718-6130
Matt Slonaker
Executive Director, Utah Health Policy Project
Cell: 406-360-2981
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