With about two weeks to go until the end of the 2016 open enrollment period, Wisconsin was on target to sign up substantially more people in the federal health insurance Marketplace than a year ago.  The most recent Marketplace enrollment report from the federal Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), with data on sign-ups through January 16 (week 11), shows that 224,719 people in Wisconsin had selected a plan on the Marketplace.  Early last year, after the end of the 2015 enrollment period, HHS reported that 207,349 Wisconsinites had selected a Marketplace plan.

The open enrollment period for purchasing private insurance through the Marketplace ends on January 31 this year.  However, people who are eligible for BadgerCare or Medicaid can sign up at any time. Also, various changes in life circumstances can create “special enrollment periods” for buying Marketplace plans. Examples include losing insurance coverage, getting married, having a child, or moving to a different state.

While all signs point to a significant increase in Marketplace sign-ups this year, it’s still too early to be certain Wisconsin will exceed the actual number of people who not only enroll in a plan but pay their premium and remain enrolled.  We probably won’t see new data on “effectuated” enrollment until well into the spring.

HHS released some other data this week that takes a more thorough look at Marketplace sign-ups through December 26.  Those figures reveal the following about enrollment in Wisconsin:

• Among the 216,877 Wisconsinites who had signed up for Marketplace plans through that date, 83% were eligible for premium tax credits, which is consistent with the national average.
• About 28% were new participants in Marketplace plans, and 45% were “active re-enrollees” who used the Marketplace to shop for a new plan, rather than being automatically re-enrolled in the same plan they had last year.
• Among all the Wisconsinites who had selected a plan by Dec. 26^th, the average monthly premium tax credit was $336, which reduced the average cost per participant to $132. (The national averages across the 38 states participating in the federal Marketplace were $294 and $113, respectively.)
• Although 68% of the sign-ups in Wisconsin could have had premiums of $100 or less (after the premium tax credits), only 41% selected or were automatically enrollment in such plans.

The current open enrollment period seems to have also boosted participation in BadgerCare, which isn’t surprising.  State figures show that BadgerCare enrollment grew by close to 1,600 in December, but that only partially offsets a decline of about 7,000 people from July through November.  Our hope is that most of that decline can be attributed to the gradually improving economy and declining unemployment rate.

We’ll report again on enrollment figures as more data emerges after the end of the open enrollment period.

Jon Peacock and Sashi Gregory