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Open enrollment numbers continue declining as period’s end approaches

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Around 6,000 West Virginians have purchased health insurance coverage during the open enrollment period so far.

According to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 5,999 people have selected insurance coverage for 2020 through HealthCare.gov. The open enrollment period began Nov. 1 and continues until Dec. 15.

Jeremy Smith, program director of West Virginia Navigator, said this year’s enrollment trend is similar to 2018 but a drop from the year before.

“In 2017, there were 7,828 people that enrolled (over four weeks),” he said.

By week five of the 2017 enrollment period, 10,070 West Virginians had purchased an insurance plan. A year later, 7,728 people in the state were enrolled. Enrollment between 2017 and 2018 decreased from 27,409 people to 22,599 people, a 17.5% decline.

“We’re still a little concerned that people are a little bit confused on the health insurance marketplace,” Smith said. “They might be confused if the program is still around and what it can do for them.”

Smith said there are multiple factors affecting enrollment numbers: the politicization of health care, a strong economy and the repeal of the individual mandate in 2017.

“People have just turned it off and haven’t paid attention to what options are out there,” Smith said. “When people think of health care, it’s political rather than what’s best for them and their family. We never want to see that.”

This is also the second year the individual mandate is no longer in effect; the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which went into place in December 2017, removed the penalty for not purchasing coverage.

“Unfortunately, a lot of younger, healthier people who used to sign up for health insurance are kind of rolling the dice by going without health insurance,” Smith said. “One major car wreck or surgery can bankrupt you and your family.”

The removal of the individual mandate is the focal point of a lawsuit on former President Barack Obama’s health care law; West Virginia and a coalition of Republican states are suing to nullify the statute. The group cites the provision as crucial for the law to function. If the legal challenge is successful, around 20 million Americans would be at risk of losing their insurance coverage.

The U.S. Department of Justice has sided with the faction of states. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard arguments in July regarding the issue.

But Smith said his organization is not concerned about the lawsuit right now.

“We just tell people not to pay attention to that,” he said.

West Virginia Navigator is a nonprofit organization that provides free consulting on health insurance. Smith joked health insurance can be a “second language,” but people need to be aware of their options.

“As a country as a whole, I think literacy when it comes to health insurance options just isn’t quite what it needs to be to use insurance properly. We really do spend the time to talk to people about those options,” he said.

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and CareSource offer plans in the state; Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is available statewide, while CareSource is available in 44 counties. Smith noted 80% of West Virginians who purchased health insurance through the marketplace in 2018 received a monthly subsidy to cover costs, noting most people remain eligible for the subsidies.





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