22 Percent Increase Over Last Year
New Yorkers Show Demand for Quality, Affordable Healthcare
ALBANY, N.Y. (January 6, 2017) – NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace, today announced that more than 3.4 million people have enrolled in health insurance through December 24, 2016.
With almost a month to go until the end of the 2017 Open Enrollment period, participation in the NY State of Health Marketplace has already increased more than 22 percent since the last Open Enrollment period ended, January 31, 2016. Enrollment has increased in all 62 counties of the state. The overall share of New Yorkers now enrolled through the NY State of Health has reached nearly 18 percent of the state’s population.
“NY State of Health continues to make it easy to get a good, low-cost health plan, driving down the state’s uninsured rate from 10 percent in 2013 to 5 percent, in 2015, the lowest rate in decades,” said NY State of Health Executive Director Donna Frescatore. “We encourage New Yorkers who have not yet signed up to enroll now, before the January 31st deadline.”
In 2016, the Essential Plan, a new program New York launched for lower income individuals has proved to be a tremendous success. As of December 24, 2016, more than 635,000 individuals have enrolled in the Essential Plan, up from nearly 380,000 at the end of the 2016 Open Enrollment Period.
The breakdown of enrollment as of December 24, 2016, is as follows:
- Total cumulative enrollment: 3,472,214
- Total Medicaid enrollment: 2,332,683
- Total Non-Medicaid enrollment: 1,139,531
-Essential Plan: 635,909
-Qualified Health Plan: 217,995
-Child Health Plus: 285,627
Open enrollment began on November 1st and runs through January 31, 2017. NY State of Health offers a variety of plans to choose from and many consumers buying plans through the Marketplace will qualify for increased financial assistance in 2017 to help make coverage more affordable.
Consumers who have questions or need help enrolling can log onto www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov, call 1-855-355-5777 or make an appointment with an in-person assistor. Customer service hours are Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
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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/ or call Customer Service at 1-855-355-5777, TTY: 1-800-662-1220 or find an enrollment assistor.