HHS finds that 56,000 people have enrolled in federal insurance exchange last week
The number of Texas residents enrolling for health insurance coverage through the state’s exchange has grown last week. The Department of Health and Human Services recently released a report showing that some 56,000 people have enrolled for coverage in Texas through HealthCare.gov as of last week, bringing the total number of Texans signing up with the exchange to approximately 1.1 million. Despite the growth, enrollment in Texas has lagged behind that being seen in other states.
Many people have enrolled for coverage manually, while others were automatically re-enrolled by the exchange system
Many of the 56,000 people that enrolled in the exchange are new customers, never having used the exchange previously. Others are those that have re-enrolled for coverage, either automatically or manually. These consumers were able to enroll for coverage by December 26, which means that their policies will go into effect on January 1, 2016. This will ensure that they avoid a federal penalty, which is applied to those without health insurance coverage by the beginning of the new year.
8.5 million people have signed up for health insurance coverage through exchanges
According to information from the Department of Health and Human Services, some 8.5 million people have enrolled for coverage through HealthCare.gov this year. Most of these people opted to enroll manually, with 2.4 million being automatically enrolled in policies they had previously acquired through exchanges. During the Christmas week, 275,000 people enrolled for coverage through HealthCare.gov and state-run insurance exchanges.
Texas continues to lead in uninsured population
A recent study from Rice University found that the number of adults without health insurance coverage in the United States fell by 41% from September 2013 to September 2015. During this same period, the uninsured rate dropped by 21% in Texas. The state continues to lead the country in terms of its uninsured population, with many people opting out of coverage either because it is too expensive or because they are unaware of the benefits they can find through health insurance exchanges.