More than 206,000 consumers enrolled in a healthcare plan during the Covid-19 special enrollment period (SEP), according to new data reported by Health Affairs.
The SEP, which runs from February 15 to May 15, was created by President Biden to give consumers more time to get healthcare coverage on Helathcare.gov during the Covid-19 pandemic. Typically, the open enrollment period runs from November 1 through December 15 annually.
There were more than three times as many consumers selected a plan in the first two weeks of the special period than the same two-week period in 2019 and nearly three times as many in 2020.
“Enrollment through HealthCare.gov increased significantly relative to prior years, suggesting high demand for marketplace coverage in the midst of the pandemic,” wrote Katie Keith, principal at Keith Policy Solutions and contributor on the Affordable Care Act for Health Affairs.
Enrollment is expected to continue rising during the SEP, with more than 330,000 people completing a marketplace application but not yet selecting a plan. Every state saw increased enrollment compared to the same period last year. States with high uninsured rates who had not expanded Medicaid under the ACA had the highest enrollment rates, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services spent $50 million to market the SEP to ensure consumers knew about the option.
“This $50 million investment is far greater than the $10 million invested by the Trump administration each year,” Keith wrote. “A funded campaign is important because awareness of the marketplaces remains low (and may be especially low for those who lose job-based coverage and have never used the marketplace before).”
Overall, the SEP enrollment rate shows huge interest in healthcare coverage enrollment outside the annual open period.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."