HealthSource: Enrollments at 30K

HEALTHSOURCE RI IS REPORTING that 30,744 people have enrolled in health insurance plans on the individual market as of Feb. 15. / COURTESY HEALTHSOURCE RI
HEALTHSOURCE RI IS REPORTING that 30,744 people have enrolled in health insurance plans on the individual market as of Feb. 15. / COURTESY HEALTHSOURCE RI

PROVIDENCE – Eighty-two percent of Year One customers had renewed or selected a health insurance plan through HealthSource RI as of Feb. 15, according to the latest enrollment data.
Of the full number of 2015 individual plan customers, 9,684 are new to the health benefits exchange and 21,060 are renewing customers.
Total enrollments number 30,744, with 27,487 of them having paid, (7,539 of new customers and 19,948 of renewed customers), HealthSource RI said.
Enrollment has increased by 1,957 since Feb. 7, the last time data was released by HealthSource RI.
While Feb. 15 was supposed to be the enrollment deadline, it has been extended to Feb. 23 for Rhode Islanders who required in-person assistance that day and who were unable to get it due to storm closings of the Providence contact center and Warwick walk-in center. Those customers must choose a plan and pay the first month’s premium by Feb. 23 to have coverage starting March 1.
HealthSource RI said individuals who have selected a plan but have not paid by their selected coverage effective date will have it canceled. Twenty-one plans are available on the individual market, an increase from 12 offered in 2014.
To date, 64 percent of renewing customers have selected a different plan for 2015, with 41 percent of renewing individuals selecting a plan with a different carrier for 2015.
Forty-nine percent of individuals are choosing Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island plans, compared with 97 percent the first year. Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island is the next popular plan, with 48 percent of individuals choosing it, compared with 3 percent the first year. UnitedHealthcare of New England is new to the exchange this year, and 3 percent of individuals have signed up for its plans.
Of those enrolling, 53 percent are female, and 47 percent, male. The over-55 age group comprises the largest age group at 29 percent, followed by 45-54 at 22 percent. Fifty-six percent of those enrolling are receiving financial assistance in terms of advanced premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions, while 32 percent are qualifying for advanced premium tax credits and 12 percent are not receiving financial assistance at all.
Tax credits are based on income and family size. An individual making up to $46,680 a year may qualify for a tax credit. A family of four making up to $95,400 a year also may qualify for a tax credit.
Individuals earning up to $29,175 a year and families of four earning up to $59,625 a year may qualify for cost-sharing reduction plans which offer lower deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance for certain health care services.
On the small employer side of HealthSource RI, enrollment as of Feb. 14 was 464, representing 3,349 covered lives. That number increased by six from what was reported a week earlier. Unlike the individual market, small business owners interested in purchasing coverage for their employees through the SHOP marketplace can enroll at any time – SHOP enrollment occurs year-round.
New and renewing customers affected by the Feb. 15 storm closings can compare and choose a health insurance plan at www.healthsourceri.com.
Hours for walk-in centers in Providence at 70 Royal Little Drive and in Warwick at 1923 Post Road are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

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