HealthSource RI ranks as second most successful exchange, but youth enrollment still low

HEALTHSOURCE RI ranked at No. 2 on a New York Times list of the top Obamacare exchanges in terms of percent of third-month enrollment target reached. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island President and CEO Peter Andruszkiewicz, pictured above center, described the latest HealthSource RI enrollment numbers as
HEALTHSOURCE RI ranked at No. 2 on a New York Times list of the top Obamacare exchanges in terms of percent of third-month enrollment target reached. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island President and CEO Peter Andruszkiewicz, pictured above center, described the latest HealthSource RI enrollment numbers as "progressing" and said it's too early to critique the demographic breakdown of the state's exchange enrollments. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MIKW SKORSKI

(Updated, 2:10 p.m.)

PROVIDENCE – Recent analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data suggests HealthSource RI may be one of the most successful health care exchanges in the country.

In a New York Times ranking of the top state- and federally-run health care exchanges in terms of percent of third-month enrollment target reached as of Dec. 28, Rhode Island came in at No. 2, with 9,803 private-plan enrollments, or 174 percent of its three-month target of 5,640 enrollments.

The only state to rank higher was Connecticut, with 36,000 individuals who had selected a private plan, or 232 percent of the state’s target of 15,510 enrollments.

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The three-month enrollment targets were devised by HHS for each state before the exchanges launched in October.

The HHS data also provided demographic breakdowns for each state. In Rhode Island, 22 percent of private-plan enrollees were aged 18-34, below the national average of 24 percent. The Ocean State ranked 30th among the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia for percentage of enrollees aged 18-34, according to The New York Times. Washington, D.C., topped that list with 44 percent, followed by Massachusetts with 31 percent.

President Barack Obama’s administration has said that 40 percent of enrollees, or 2.7 million out of a total 7 million, would need to be between the ages of 18 and 34 for the national exchange to work.

Although HealthSource RI Executive Director Christine Ferguson has not commented on what percent would be required for the state exchange to be viable, a November report by the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council highlighted the risk of adverse selection if not enough young Rhode Islanders enroll through the exchange.

“Healthy, young individuals may forgo insurance while large numbers of older individuals with pre-existing conditions purchase insurance, resulting in a narrow, high-risk pool with higher costs,” the RIPEC report stated.

Dara Chadwick, a spokeswoman for HealthSource RI, told Providence Business News that the HealthSource RI team had set no specific age-related goals for the exchange.

“We haven’t broken out targets specifically by age groups,” she said in an email. Chadwick indicated that the relatively elderly population of Rhode Island was less challenging for the exchange than the problems presented by the rocky rollout of the national exchange.

She also said that enrolling young people was nonetheless a priority.

“Specific to enrolling young people is the challenge of convincing them of the value of having health insurance,” Chadwick said. “[That’s] a challenge all exchanges are facing and not necessarily unique to HealthSource RI.”

During the taping of a WPRI television segment in December, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island President and CEO Peter Andruskiewicz described enrollment figures for Rhode Island, across the board, as “disappointing.”

This week, Andruskiewicz told Providence Business News that the best word to describe the latest numbers released Jan. 13 was “progressing.”

“Enrollment has improved and we anticipate that it will continue to do so through open enrollment,” Andruskiewicz said. “We recognize that this is a new approach for many. There has been a lot of information to absorb and a number of choices to make.”

Andruskiewicz has said in the past that he hoped for private-plan enrollment through the exchange to reach at least 40,000. As of Jan. 8, a total of 9,902 people had paid for private plans during the Rhode Island exchange’s first 100 days, with 82 days remaining before the end of the open enrollment period, both in Rhode Island and nationally.

Andruskiewicz said it’s not yet time to look too hard at the age breakdown in the state.

“We always anticipated that those needing insurance would be among the first to enroll,” he said, “with others joining more slowly as they understand the benefits in terms of prevention, wellness and emergency care. It would therefore be difficult to provide perspective on demographics until later in the process.”

Chadwick indicated that the final two and a half months would see redoubled efforts on the part of the state exchange to reach Rhode Islanders of every age.

“We’re about to launch a new advertising campaign,” she said, “including some social media spots, which will increase our visibility across all age groups.”

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