Medical Billing Blog

Marketplace Enrollment Update: February 2014

Posted by Scott Shatzman on Thu, Feb, 27, 2014 @ 09:02 AM

describe the imageEnrollment in health plans sold on marketplaces created by President Obama’s health care law has hit 4 million, the administration announced Tuesday, marking another milestone in the law’s implementation. The number suggests sign-ups have continued at a brisk pace in February, with about 700,000 people selecting an insurance plan so far this month. And with five weeks before the enrollment period deadline at the end of March, they put the administration on pace to come close to the Congressional Budget Office's initial projection that 7 million individuals would sign up for insurance coverage during the period. Health officials continue to see “strong demand nationwide” and that more than 12 million calls have come into the federal call center since the fall. But with the good news remain some questions. The number of people who have signed up for plans and paid their first month's premium remains unknown, though insurers have suggested about 20 percent of individuals have not paid. Moreover, it is unclear how many of those individuals who signed up in February were young and healthy -- the population demographic that the administration needs to ensure that the exchanges have a stable balance of healthy and sick consumers. A senior administration official said that a more detailed report about the enrollees would be released in mid-March.