Press Release: Nearly 950,000 New Yorkers Enrolled on NY State of Health

All applications and enrollments in health plans must be completed by the end of the day today, April 15, 2014


ALBANY, NY (April 15, 2014) – NY State of Health (NYSOH), the State’s official health plan marketplace, reported that as of 9 a.m. today, 1,311,271 New Yorkers have completed their applications and 949,428 have enrolled for coverage since the launch of the Marketplace on October 1, 2013. More than 70 percent of those who have enrolled to date were uninsured at the time of application. The Marketplace is well on its way to meeting or exceeding its enrollment goal of 1.1 million people by the end of 2016.

Since March 31, 2014 alone, more than 83,000 New Yorkers enrolled in coverage through the Marketplace. These enrollment figures include those people who had taken steps to apply for coverage prior to the March 31, 2014 Marketplace deadline for individuals but were unable to complete the enrollment process by that date. All applications and enrollments in health plans must be completed by the end of the day today, April 15, 2014.

Activity has remained high at the NY State of Health Customer Service Center with more than 160,000 calls answered since March 31. The Customer Service Center has answered nearly 1.2 million calls since the launch of the Marketplace.

“With nearly 950,000 New Yorkers now enrolled in quality, low-cost health insurance, year one of the Marketplace has been a great success. We are well on our way to meeting or exceeding our goal of enrolling 1.1 million by the end of 2016,” said Donna Frescatore, executive director of NY State of Health. “The open enrollment period for individuals who started their applications by March 31 ends at the end of the day today. We will continue to provide assistance to New Yorkers across the state to help them access the insurance coverage they need.”

With the exception of individuals who took steps to enroll prior to the March 31 deadline yet require assistance to complete their enrollment, only those individuals and families who qualify for a Special Enrollment Period will be able to enroll in coverage during the remainder of 2014. Special Enrollment Period qualifying events include getting married or divorced, gaining a dependent, losing employer insurance, or permanently moving into New York State. Individuals and families who do not qualify for a Special Enrollment Period will not be able to enroll in coverage until the next open enrollment period, which begins on November 15, 2014 for coverage starting on January 1, 2015. New Yorkers eligible for Medicaid and all children can enroll in coverage through NY State of Health at any time during the year. NY State of Health’s Small Business Marketplace for employers with 50 or fewer employees is open to enrollment throughout the year.  

NY State of Health website, the NY State of Health customer service center and certified in-person assistors will remain available to assist those New Yorkers who are eligible to enroll throughout the remainder of the year.
More than 8,800 specially trained and certified assistors are available in counties throughout the state to help people apply in person. 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.

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.

 

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Contact: New York State Department of Health
518 474 7354, ext. 1

 

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