Healthplanfinder website draws thousands of visitors

Washington Healthplanfinder announced Tuesday that nearly 25,000 residents have completed applications through http://www.wahealthplanfinder.org since the second open enrollment period launched on November 15, with more than 10,000 of those customers completing applications for Qualified Health Plans.

Residents who haven’t yet taken action can visit Washington Healthplanfinder to compare health plans and see if they qualify for financial help to lower the cost of their insurance.

“Our initial data shows that we’re off to a strong start,” said Richard Onizuka, CEO for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. “The numbers demonstrate that people are aware of the opportunity and taking action to sign up or renew their existing health plan.”

In addition to completed applications, initial reports through November 17 show that:

More than 2,000 individuals have scheduled their payments for Qualified Health Plans.

More than 14,000 Washingtonians have signed up or renewed their coverage for Washington Apple Health (Medicaid).

More than 500 small businesses statewide have created accounts through Washington Healthplanfinder Business to view their options.

The toll-free Customer Support Center received more than 11,000 calls.

There have been more than 40,000 total website visits to wahealthplanfinder.org.

The Exchange also released an updated enrollment report today with data through October 2014 that shares new information about enrollees by age, preferred language, insurance company, county, churn between Medicaid and Qualified Health Plans, and more.

In total, more than 600,000 Washingtonians are now covered through Qualified Health Plans or under new Medicaid expansion eligibility guidelines. Washington Healthplanfinder and participating insurance companies will continue to reach out to existing customers to ensure they renew their health plan for coverage starting January 1, 2015.

“We’ll continue to monitor our enrollment totals and provide relevant updates on a monthly basis,” said Onizuka. “We expect a large surge in both website traffic and calls to our Customer Support Center around the December 23 deadline for coverage that starts on January 1, as well as the weeks leading up to February 15.”

To view past data reports, please visit the Washington Health Benefit Exchange News Center at http://wahbexchange.org/news-resources/press-room/.

Reminders: Residents must select and pay for a Qualified Health Plan by December 23, 2014 at 5 p.m. for coverage that begins on January 1, 2015.

Enrollment in Washington Healthplanfinder Business and Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) is year-round. Apple Health customers will receive a notice 60 days before the month they enrolled in or renewed their coverage last year.

Residents who are interested in signing up or renewing their Qualified Health Plan may visit http://www.wahealthplanfinder.org.