Top 10 state enrollments
Georgia was No. 10 among the states in the number of people who completed their applications for health insurance on HealthCare.gov and selected a plan.
1. California * …………….. 498,794
2. Florida …………………… 158,030
3. New York *……………… 156,902
4. Texas ……………………… 118,532
5. North Carolina ………… 107,778
6. Pennsylvania …………… 81,320
7. Michigan ………………… 75,511
8. Washington * ………….. 68,058
9. Illinois ……………………. 61,111
10. Georgia …………………. 58,611
* State operates its own exchange.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Nearly eight times more Georgians chose health insurance plans through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace in December than during the website’s first two months of operation combined, new data shows.
So far, however, not enough people in the so-called "young invincibles" group -- ages 18 to 34 -- have signed up for plans on the insurance exchanges. Experts say this age group should account for about 40 percent of people enrolling in new plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace, but the figures released on Monday show that, nationwide, only 24 percent of enrollments through Dec. 31 came from the group (26 percent in Georgia).
The government racked up the enrollment gains in part because HealthCare.gov finally started working properly, or close to properly, in December after its disastrous launch Oct. 1. Last month’s deadline to buy coverage and have it take effect Jan. 1 also contributed to a surge in sign-ups.
More than 58,600 Georgia consumers had selected health plans through the marketplace, a key element of the Affordable Care Act, as of Dec. 28, according to a report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nationwide, sign-ups increased nearly five-fold last month, hitting nearly 2.2 million over the marketplace’s first three months of operation.
“The numbers show there is a very strong national demand for affordable health care,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a phone call with reporters.
Monday’s report also offered a more detailed look at the demographics of people enrolling in the marketplace. About 80 percent nationwide are eligible for federal tax credits to help pay for their plans. In addition, women made up 54 percent of enrollees across the country versus 57 percent in Georgia.
But the age distribution of those choosing plans on the exchanges was troubling to many.
Under Obamacare, insurance companies may no longer deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions or charge them more. The law also limits how much more insurers may charge older people. The new restrictions mean insurance companies need a big enough group of healthy young adults to make up for the money they spend on more expensive, older consumers. If not, they would likely increase premiums.
To make the system work, an estimated four in 10 marketplace enrollees, about 2.8 million people, need to be in that younger age group, according to a report by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation. Even if young adults are only 25 percent of the mix, insurers would still earn a profit and premium increases would be modest, the report says.
“We’re at halftime in the open enrollment period, and I would expect larger numbers of young people to enroll in the second half between now and March,” said Larry Levitt, the foundation’s senior vice president for special initiatives. “And, certainly every 20-something I know waits until the last minute to do everything.”
Opponents of the law were not so confident.
“There’s no way to spin it: youth enrollment has been a bust so far,” said Brendan Buck, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner. “When they see that Obamacare offers high costs for limited access to doctors – if the enrollment goes through at all – it’s no surprise that young people aren’t rushing to sign up.”
Federal health officials said Monday they also expect more young adults to sign up as the end of open enrollment, March 31, approaches.
“We need to continue and accelerate our outreach efforts to that population, and that’s what we’re doing,” said Michael Hash, who heads HHS’ Office of Health Reform. “We feel confident we’ll have an appropriate mix.”
It’s too soon to tell whether the marketplace will have the right mix of people to make it financially sound, but the trend does seem to be in the right direction, said Bill Custer, a health care policy expert at Georgia State University.
More people will filter into the insurance market as the penalty for not having coverage increases over time, Custer said. He added that it’s unclear how many people were allowed to keep their current plans for one more year even though they don’t comply with new Obamacare standards. Those consumers will have to find new plans that include the law’s required 10 essential health benefits, such as maternity care, when their current contracts are up.
By March, the marketplace’s direction should be clearer, Custer said.
“Young people are more likely to buy coverage because of the Affordable Care Act than they were before,” he said. “The question is, is it enough?”
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