The N.Y. State of Health has announced a new coverage record as many more residents enroll.
A New York health insurance enrollment record has been broken this year as 95 percent of residents are now enrolled in the N.Y. State of Health plans.
Registrations in the New York State of Health plans have struck record levels for this year’s coverage.
This year’s enrollment period came to a close on January 31 and by that point, there were 4.8 million people with New York Health Insurance registrations. This figure represents 95 percent of the state’s residents.
A number of new laws have kept this year’s health insurance enrollment figures in the spotlight. This is especially true due to the tax law changes that went into effect this year. Beginning with the 2019 plans, the former penalty for failing to have health insurance coverage is no longer applicable. This means that when New Yorkers decided not to purchase a health plan, there was no longer a tax incentive to change their minds.
Many were concerned that without the penalty, fewer people would choose New York health insurance coverage.
However, instead of seeing falling numbers, the opposite was true in New York. Residents enrolled in health insurance coverage at a rate of 10 percent higher than last year’s figures. Enrollments were way up, increasing overall figures across the state.
In fact, there were 4.76 million people in the state who signed up for health insurance through the state’s Affordable Care Act exchange. The marketplace has shown considerable success under Obamacare in terms of its enrollment figures. The 2019 enrollment figures represent 435,000 more people covered through the exchange than was the case in 2018. This, despite all the political battles, lack of incentive by avoiding tax penalties and threats to the future of the health care law.
“Despite the continued uncertainty at the federal level, New Yorkers were undeterred this open enrollment period,” said N.Y. State of Health Executive Director Donna Frescatore in a news report.
These figures have only bolstered N.Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo as he continues his political effort to 
secure the Affordable Care Marketplace in the state. Cuomo has also been working to protect the New York health insurance coverage standards for pre-existing conditions, among others.
