Marketplace enrollment up 5% for 2021
A total of 12 million consumers purchased, acquired or were automatically enrolled in coverage.
As expected, marketplace health insurance enrollment jumped significantly from the 2020 enrollment period to the 2021 period.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said enrollment increased about 5% over 2020. A total of 12 million consumers purchased, acquired, or were automatically enrolled in coverage either through the HealthCare.gov site or state-operated marketplace portals. Last year, enrollment was 11.4 million.
Related: More than 500,000 new ACA signups during special enrollment period
Slightly more consumers enrolled in state marketplaces than they had the prior year, while HealthCare.gov enrollment was down slightly. That count is somewhat misleading, as two states established marketplaces for the 2021 enrollment period that had formerly used HealthCare.gov for enrollment.
CMS said in a release that returning consumers drove the higher numbers. “Nationally, returning consumers made up 79% of consumers with a plan selection during the 2021 OEP, compared to 75% in the 2020 OEP,” the release said.
Other key findings cited by CMS:
- 88% of consumers in states that use the HealthCare.gov platform received financial assistance through tax credits in 2021, up slightly from 2020.
- Among consumers receiving financial assistance through advance payments of the premium tax credit, the average amount covered 85 percent of the total premium in both 2020 and 2021.
- Deductibles varied considerably by plan choice, driven by cost-sharing variants. “The overall average deductible of plans selected … was $2,825, consistent with the $2,835 average for the 2020,” CMS said, “Deductibles for consumers enrolled in the two most generous silver plan CSR variants, the 87% actuarial value (AV) plan and the 94% actuarial value plan, increased by 3% and declined by 35%, respectively,” compared to 2020.
Enrollment showed its first uptick during the Trump administration, but still fell short of the 12.7 million who chose marketplace insurance in 2016. The pandemic, which cost many consumers workplace-related coverage, was “credited” with generating much of the increase as those without insurance sought the affordable marketplace options.
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