State DOH Releases ACA Statistics

State DOH Releases ACA Statistics

Nearly 1 million New Yorkers have enrolled in the state's health-insurance marketplace as part of the Affordable Care Act, with more than half being added to the state's Medicaid program.

The state Department of Health on Wednesday released a statistical report on enrollment data and demographic information on those who have enrolled in health plans from Oct. 1 through April 15, the end of open enrollment.

The report found of the 960,762 New Yorkers who signed up for health care, 525,283 were added to the Medicaid program, and 370,604 were added to a qualified health plan. When it comes to Child Health Plus, 64,875 people were enrolled.

New York expanded Medicaid eligibility as part of the federal health care law. The DOH says 13 percent of those who enrolled were deemed newly eligible for the program.

At the same time, younger people are signing up for insurance for the exchange a key factor for leveling out insurance costs once the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented.

The DOH found thirty-four percent of those enrolled in a qualified health plan are under age 35, and 18 percent are between the ages of 35 and 44.

Year one of the marketplace has been a tremendous success with more than 960,000 New Yorkers enrolling in quality, low-cost health insurance, said Donna Frescatore, executive director of NY State of Health in a statement. The year-one results show strong activity throughout the state and across many important measures such as age, prior insurance status, affordability, and health plan options. We're looking forward to building upon this success during the next open enrollment period, which begins for individuals and families on November 15, 2014 for coverage starting on January 1, 2015.

State DOH Releases ACA Statistics