NY State of Health (NYSOH), the state’s
official health plan marketplace, reported
that as of Jan. 20, 587,486 New Yorkers had
completed their applications and 328,796
have enrolled for coverage since the launch
of the Marketplace on Oct. 1.
The number of enrolled New Yorkers
increased by 98,172 since Dec. 24, state Department
of Health officials said. A total of
230,624 New Yorkers enrolled through Dec.
24 for coverage starting on Jan. 1.
The NY State of Health open enrollment
period runs through March 31. Officials said
New York is on track to meet or exceed its
enrollment goal of 1.1 million people by the
end of 2016.
“Activity on the NY State of Health site remains high, as close to 100,000 New Yorkers enrolled for quality, low-cost health insurance since Dec. 24,” said Donna Frescatore, executive director of NY State of Health. “We are very pleased with our overall results to date as well, with almost 330,000 enrolled, and more than 587,000 people have completed applications since the Oct. 1 launch of the Marketplace.”
She said New Yorkers continue to enroll each day through the Marketplace, and people who purchase their coverage directly are seeing premium rates that are 53 percent lower than the rates in effect in 2013 for comparable coverage. To further reduce costs, NY State of Health is making available financial assistance in the form of federal tax credits to help reduce the monthly cost of coverage.
According to Frescatore, New Yorkers can access available plans, estimated costs, and financial assistance (for their county) by using the Tax Credit and Premium Estimator at http://info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/premiumEstimator.
NY State of Health Customer Service Center representatives have answered nearly 463,000 calls since the launch of the Marketplace, official said. More than 7,000 specially trained and certified assistors are available in counties throughout the state to help people apply in person.
Plans offered on NYSOH are available in four easy-to-compare metal tiers (platinum, gold, silver, and bronze) from 16 qualified insurers and 10 qualified dental insurers. New Yorkers can see plans available in their area at http://info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/PlansMap.
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 http://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/employer, by calling toll-free at 1-855-355-5777, or by contacting an insurance broker.
Individuals and families can get information and enroll in a plan either online at https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/, by calling tollfree at 1-855-355-5777, or in-person through a navigator. A list of community navigators can be found by county on the website.