NEARLY 242,000 NEW YORKERS NOW ENROLLED ON NY STATE OF HEALTH
Number of Enrolled Individuals Increased by Nearly 22 Percent from December 23 to Today
About 481,000 New Yorkers Have Completed Full Applications on NY State of Health Marketplace
ALBANY (Dec. 30, 2013) – The NY State of Health (NYSOH), the State’s official health plan marketplace, reported that as of 9 a.m. today, 480,911 New Yorkers have completed their applications and 241,522 people have enrolled for quality, low-cost health insurance coverage. Over the two-day period from December 23 to December 24, enrollments increased by 42,078. The number of enrolled individuals increased by nearly 22 percent from December 23 (188,546) to today, December 30 (241,522). The open enrollment period for individuals on the NY State of Health marketplace runs through March 31, 2014.
“We are very pleased to see that almost 242,000 New Yorkers have enrolled for quality, low-cost health insurance since the October 1 launch of the NY State of Health marketplace and nearly 481,000 people have completed applications,” Donna Frescatore, executive director of NY State of Health, said. “Activity on the site was particularly high on December 23rd and 24th when more than 42,000 New Yorkers enrolled for coverage.”
New Yorkers who enroll through the Marketplace and purchase their coverage directly are seeing premium rates that are 53 percent lower than the rates in effect in 2013 for comparable coverage. To further reduce costs, NY State of Health is making available financial assistance in the form of federal tax credits to help reduce the monthly cost of coverage. New York is on track to reach its enrollment goal of 1.1 million people by the end of 2016.
NY State of Health Customer Service Center representatives have answered more than 370,000 calls since the October 1 launch of the Marketplace, and over 5,000 specially trained and certified assistors are available in counties throughout the state to help people apply in person.
The rates for the health plans on NYSOH represent a 53 percent reduction compared to the previous year’s individual rates. In addition to this cost-savings, it is estimated that nearly three-quarters of individual enrollees will qualify for financial assistance. New Yorkers can access available plans, estimated costs, and financial assistance (for their county) by using the Tax Credit and Premium Estimator at http://info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/PremiumEstimator.
Plans offered on NYSOH are available in four easy-to-compare metal tiers (platinum, gold, silver, and bronze) from 16 qualified insurers and 10 qualified dental insurers. New Yorkers can see plans available in their area at http://info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/PlansMap.
The Small Business Marketplace offers small businesses with 50 or fewer employees a range of flexible options to meet their needs. Small businesses can access expert advice and enroll on NYSOH either online at https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/employer, by calling toll-free at 1-855-355-5777, or by contacting an insurance broker.
Individuals and families can get information and enroll in a plan either online at https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/, by calling toll-free at 1-855-355-5777, or in-person through a navigator. A list of community navigators can be found by county on the website.
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Contact:
The New York State Department of Health
518 474 7354, ext. 1