Enrollment Increased by 435,000 From Last Year
ALBANY, NY (February 4, 2019) — NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace, today announced more than 4.7 million New Yorkers have enrolled in comprehensive health coverage through the Marketplace, an increase of more than 435,000 people from 2018. Marketplace enrollment is at its highest point ever, including more than 1 million (1,062,025) people enrolled in Qualified Health Plans and the Essential Plan. Reflecting both strong customer loyalty and the Marketplace’s continued ability to attract new enrollees, 86 percent of enrollees were returning from last year and 14 percent were new in 2019.
“Despite the continued uncertainty at the federal level, New Yorkers were undeterred this Open Enrollment Period,” said NY State of Health Executive Director Donna Frescatore. “Covering more than 4.7 million people is truly a milestone, and we will continue our commitment to bring affordable, comprehensive coverage to New Yorkers.”
NY State of Health attributes another successful Open Enrollment Period to its strong product offerings and its commitment to getting its positive messages out to consumers. In 2019, New Yorkers once again had a broad choice of high quality, affordable health plan options in every county of the state. With 12 insurers offering Qualified Health Plans and 16 insurers offering the Essential Plan statewide, most consumers had a choice of four insurer options in their county. Ninety-five percent of Marketplace enrollees saw no change in the cost of coverage compared to last year. And NY State of Health was committed to getting these positive messages out to consumers, through its “You Deserve Affordable Health Care” advertising campaign, at more than 300 community outreach events, and by sending nearly four million emails to consumers reminding them of important steps needed to complete their enrollment.
As of January 31, 2019:
Total Marketplace enrollment is: 4,767,624
Enrollment in Medicaid through the Marketplace is: 3,287,846
Non-Medicaid program enrollment is 1,479,778:
- 271,873 in a Qualified Health Plan – including:
- 158,332 (58 percent) who enrolled with financial assistance
- 113,541 (42 percent) who enrolled without financial assistance
- 790,152 in the Essential Plan
- 417,753 in Child Health Plus
New and Renewing Enrollees:
- Qualified Health Plan:
- 22 percent of enrollees were new in 2019
- 78 percent of enrollees renewed for 2019
- Essential Plan:
- 12 percent of enrollees were new in 2019
- 88 percent of enrollees renewed for 2019
New York’s commitment to the Marketplace is unwavering – NY State of Health again extended its open enrollment period for three months to ensure that consumers would have the time needed to enroll. The state also maintained funding levels for advertising and navigators to ensure consumer awareness and the availability of valuable in-person enrollment assistance. New Yorkers responded: during the 2019 Open Enrollment Period, website traffic and call center volume surged, with nearly 1.7 million website visitors and over 1.5 million calls to Customer Service, including over 34,000 calls on January 31 alone. In-person assistors helped more than three-quarters (78 percent) of enrollees complete their marketplace applications.
Additional information detailing the 2019 Open Enrollment Period, including county-level data, will be available in the coming weeks.
New York’s 2019 Open Enrollment Period ran from November 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019. New Yorkers can still enroll in a Qualified Health Plan if they experience a qualifying life event, such as having a baby, getting married, moving to a new area or losing other health coverage. Enrollment in Medicaid, Essential Plan and Child Health Plus is open all year. More information about special enrollment can be found here.
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Contact: New York State Department of Health
518-474-7354, Ext. 1
About NY State of Health
New York opened its health plan Marketplace, NY State of Health, in October 2013. The Marketplace’s one-stop health insurance shopping experience offers high-quality comprehensive health plans. NY State of Health is the only place where consumers can qualify to get help paying for coverage through premium discounts or tax credits. Eligible New Yorkers can also enroll in Medicaid, Child Health Plus and the Essential Plan through the Marketplace all year. For more information about the NY State of Health Marketplace, please visit: https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/, call Customer Service at 1-855-355-5777, TTY: 1-800-662-1220 or find an enrollment assistor.