Enrollment in Maryland’s health insurance marketplace has already increased during the current open enrollment period, and state officials are optimistic those numbers will increase before enrollment closes this month. Or afterwards.
WTOP’s Luke Lukert explains how state officials are optimistic about growing enrollment in Maryland’s health insurance marketplace.
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Enrollment in the state’s health insurance marketplace has already increased during the current open enrollment period, and state officials are optimistic those numbers will increase before enrollment closes this month . Or afterwards.
Open enrollment ends December 31 for anyone who wants coverage to begin January 1. But those who miss the end-of-year deadline can still sign up until Jan. 15 — their coverage simply won’t begin until February.
“Anyone who submits an application before Dec. 31 can receive coverage beginning in January,” said Michele Eberle, executive director of Maryland Health. Benefit exchange who oversees the market.
“If someone misses that deadline — they’re busy with the holidays, they miss Dec. 31 — they have until Jan. 15 to apply for coverage, but their health care coverage won’t start until Feb. 1 ” she said. .
Eberle said that over the past year, more than 217,000 Marylanders purchased private health plans through Maryland Health Connection, the state’s health insurance marketplace. That’s an increase of about 2% from the same time last year, meaning more people are using the marketplace to get coverage.
“That’s what we’re always trying to do: insure more people,” Eberle said. “Then that’s good.”
She urges Marylanders who do not have health insurance, or who are interested in other insurance options, to purchase plans on the marketplace before the open enrollment period ends. Open enrollment is the time nationwide when people can benefit from a private health care plan or make changes to their current plan on the exchange. Insurance changes can only occur during open enrollment, except in the event of a “qualifying life event” such as divorce, marriage, birth of a child or loss of other coverage.
The Maryland State Insurance Marketplace, called Maryland Health Connection, is part of the Obama-era Affordable Care Act. It offers a variety of private health plans, with varying levels of coverage, but also offers tax credits and subsidies that help reduce monthly costs of insurance plans.
These savings will vary depending on the applicant’s finances, age and other factors, but the average tax credit received per member per month is $474, according to November data from the exchange.
As of November, 217,070 Marylanders had purchased a private health plan through the exchange.
Enrollment was already up this year due to the end of COVID-era federal rules that barred states from taking people off Medicaid during the public health emergency. When those protections ended in April 2023, Maryland health officials began the lengthy process of determining Medicaid eligibility for 1.8 million Marylanders who had coverage at the time .
About 100,000 people who were no longer eligible for Medicaid were directed to the marketplace and encouraged to sign up for a private plan there.
Eberle is particularly excited about this open enrollment period, as thousands of Maryland immigrants are now able to participate in the marketplace for the first time, thanks to a recent federal decision to open the marketplaces to action beneficiaries Deferred Childhood Arrivals (DACA). or the so-called “Dreamers”. Previously, DACA recipients were not eligible to purchase insurance through the government marketplaces, although some still received health insurance through their workplace.
According to Eberle, there are about 7,000 DACA residents in Maryland, about half of whom will be eligible for the exchange, according to marketplace staff. So far, about 210 DACA recipients have purchased insurance through the public market, and coverage will begin for them in the new year.
“This year, who knows what will happen with our Hispanic community and our enrollment,” Eberle said. “The last time Trump was in office and talking about ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and deportations, people were really afraid of coverage.
“So we’ll see how it goes,” she said.
Eberle said the exchange is conducting outreach to enroll more DACA recipients, and she hopes currently eligible immigrants will sign up for health insurance this year.
“If you live in a mixed household and some of your family members are not here with the required papers, apply anyway. We do not share your information with anyone, please apply,” she insisted.
For those considering switching health insurance or signing up for the first time, Eberle said they can shop around for different plans before committing through the Health Connection website.
“If they have all this information … it’s going to go pretty quickly,” Eberle said. But applicants should still allow about 30 minutes to sign up for a plan, she said.
She noted that Maryland Health Connection offers hundreds of language options and those who need help registering can use the website’s chat box or call for assistance.