Sunday, April 8, 2018

Kentuckians' enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans is 10.4% higher than 2017, 4% below 2016; county data available

Over 10 percent more Kentuckians signed up for Obamacare health insurance in the recent enrollment period than the one a year ago, contrary to the national trend for enrollment under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The Kentucky enrollment was 89,569, a 10.4 increase from last year's 81,155, and just 4 percent under the 93,666 who enrolled in 2016. That was the last year before the administration of Gov. Matt Bevin moved enrollment to the federal HealthCare.gov website.

Nationally, Obamacare enrollment was down 4.2 percent, to 11.75 million from 12.7 million in 2016 and 12.2 million in 2017, according to federal reports compiled by ACAsignups.net.

Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show that 27,598 of the Kentucky enrollees, or 31 percent, were new to Obamacare. Of the 61,971 who re-enrolled, 28 percent were re-enrolled automatically; the rest were active re-enrollees, usually switching plans from last year.

Most of those switched from a typical "silver" plan to a cheaper "bronze" plan with higher thresholds and co-payments. About five in eight active re-enrollees switched plans; that doesn't count those who "crosswalked" to a similar plan from one that was changed or eliminated.

About 76 percent of Kentuckians on Obamacare have their premiums subsidized by "advance premium tax credits," granted upon enrollment, and 42 percent are getting cost-sharing reductions that are gauged by income.

The average monthly premium for Obamacare insurance in Kentucky is $544, but after the tax credit it is only $201. That average includes people who don't get financial assistance and have seen major increases in their premiums.

Among the Kentuckians who are getting the tax credit, the average credit is $455, and the average monthly premium for those receiving a credit is $124. The national average is $89 a month.

Of the 135,606 Kentuckians who applied for coverage on 91,240 applications, 76,794 were found to be eligible for tax credits, and another 25,914 were found to be eligible for free coverage through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program. Medicaid covers 1.44 million Kentuckians, about 493,000 of them under the program's expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

For county-by-county data on Medicaid, in an Excel spreadsheet, click here. For a spreadsheet of county-by-county enrollment in ACA plans, go here. A spreadsheet of ACA enrollment by ZIP code is also available, from a page on the CMS website.

1 comment:

  1. I appreciate seeing numbers (real people) not just percentages. Glad to see more Kentuckians have coverage, but we must remember that over 25 million (18-64 year olds) in the US still lack insurance coverage. Moreover, high deductibles keep people from seeking care they really need. We must get national single payer implemented. Support HR 676, Improved Medicare for All.

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