WEST VIRGINIA — The Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollments are hitting a record 21.3 million this year, with West Virginia reaching an 80.2 percent increase in enrollment at approximately 51,046 people who now have ACA healthcare coverage in the state. It’s the single largest change in ACA enrollment of any state from the 2023 to the 2024 open enrollment period which ended Jan. 16.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said he owes West Virginia’s vast ACA enrollment increase to the extension of the Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTC) in his Inflation Reduction Act, which helps eligible individuals and families afford health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace by taking out a tax credit in advance to lower the health insurance monthly payment.
Manchin said prior to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, West Virginia had the highest average plan premiums on the ACA marketplace in the entire country, and now he said residents receive the highest monthly APTCs in the country, allowing 4 out of 5 people find coverage on the marketplace for $10 or less.
He said in a statement that no one should have to choose between having healthcare coverage or food on their table and a roof over their head.
“I fought hard to ensure the Inflation Reduction Act included these Advanced ACA Tax Credits, along with several other key provisions to lower healthcare costs,” said Manchin. “I’m thrilled that we are already seeing the incredible impacts of the credits, especially in West Virginia. This announcement is continued evidence of the Inflation Reduction Act delivering life-changing solutions for the American people.”
According to KFF, formally known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, the enhanced subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act as well as the American Rescue Plan Act helped grow the ACA enrollment numbers by another 5 million people from 2023 to 2024.
Program Director with a non-profit that offers enrollment assistance for the Health Insurance Marketplace, Jeremy Smith with WV Navigator, said while the enhanced subsidies have probably played the biggest role in the increase, he believes other factors have also helped usher in the growth in enrollment numbers.
The organization works with people who can’t find coverage through Medicaid or Medicare find affordable coverage on the Marketplace. More and more people have been flocking to the marketplace since they have began being disenrolled in Medicaid, which during the Covid-19 Pandemic, states were prohibited from doing, but Medicaid disenrollment resumed in April 2023.
Smith said some of the credit for the increase should also go to the health insurance companies themselves between Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and CareSource, who helped create an attractive plan for many people this year.
“Both of them designed plans that consumers were really interested in, stuff that was affordable, they had good networks as far as doctors and hospitals that accepted the insurance, they had good deductibles, good copays,” Smith said.
Smith said the extensive advertising that the health insurance marketplace released during the open enrollment period was also a major contributing factor.
“We saw a lot of the advertising this year and they were really good ads, they really promoted all of the benefits of the marketplace plans for consumers,” he said. “And, it did a really good job of explaining how they can sign up and how the enhanced subsidies worked.”
Smith said finally, he feels as though WV Navigator’s efforts in trying to get more people enrolled went a long way in the state.
Recently the organization held its first Cover WV Day where they teamed up with multiple health organizations at over 40 locations across the state to assist people in marketplace enrollment and let them know of all of the coverage options available within the marketplace.
Smith said the one-day event turned out better than what they ever imagined it would, as they built up a lot of awareness around the issue regarding the state’s previous low healthcare insurance enrollment rates.
“The day was a success, we had a lot of people come out, and then we had a week left of open enrollment after the event and we continued to have consumers come back to those locations or call us on the phone and continue to enroll,” said Smith.
Smith said they are currently in the middle of what they are calling the Medicaid Unwind where people are getting disenrolled from Medicaid following the pandemic, and he said those who learn they are losing Medicaid due to making too much income or those who have already lost it can still possibly have the opportunity for a special enrollment in a marketplace plan.
He said to visit Healthcare.gov or at WV Navigator to see what plans might still be available.