MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Obamacare enrollment in West Virginia, like the rest of the country, has been slow so far.
Figures released Wednesday by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield show that only 198 West Virginians have successfully navigated the troubled website and chosen a plan on the exchange.
Highmark is the only company in the West Virginia exchange.
Separate figures released by Health and Human Services show only 106,185 people have successfully enrolled nationwide, well short of the 500,000 estimated for the first month by the Obama Administration.
The DHHS enrollment numbers are through Nov. 2, while the Highmark numbers are through Nov. 12. “These enrolled members have not yet paid their first month’s premium, therefore have not completed the entire enrollment process,” said Highmark in a statement.
According to DHHS, 3,807 West Virginia applications have been made, requesting coverage for 7,097 individuals.
Of those, 3,442 are eligible to enroll in the marketplace, another 1,268 qualify for enrollment with financial assistance and 3,103 are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program).
In its release, Highmark called for improvements to the website.
“There is an urgent need to improve the functionality of the federal marketplace as soon as possible to ensure that consumers have enough time to enroll by Dec. 15, 2013 for the earliest effective date of Jan. 1, 2014,” Highmark said.