MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Nearly 98,000 people in Alabama selected a plan in the federally operated health insurance marketplace, exceeding expectations for the state.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported Thursday that 97,870 people selected a plan by the enrollment deadline March 31. About 44 percent of the people who signed up in the six-month enrollment period did it in the final month. That late surge put Alabama 19 percent over the federal government’s original goal of 82,000. All of Alabama’s neighboring states exceeded their goals, too.
At Alabama Arise, an advocacy group for the poor, spokesman Jim Carnes said enrollment started off slow because of computer problems with the health insurance marketplace. But then some people began enrolling successfully and told their friends.
“There was a word-of-mouth snowball effect,” he said.
As more people talked about enrolling, more people began showing up at enrollment events held by community organizations and churches. As March approached, Carnes said he was expecting to exceed the goal. He said topping the goal was a major achievement in a state where the governor chose not to expand the Medicaid program under the health care law, and the state did not help people seeking to sign up for insurance.
While nearly 98,000 people picked a plan, the report said 195,779 were eligible to enroll in a marketplace plan, and of those 10,059 were eligible for financial assistance. Of those who sought to enroll, 22,564 were determined eligible for the state’s Medicaid program or its children’s health insurance program, and were referred to those health care plans.
The report did not note how many people who signed up for a health insurance plan had been without insurance at the time, and it did not indicate how many who signed up have starting making payments.
The report said women make up about 58 percent of those picking a health insurance plan in Alabama. That is above the national average.
The biggest age group is 18 to 34, which made up 31 percent of the people who selected a plan. The next biggest age group is 55 to 64, with 25 percent of the plan selections.
Carnes said the figures show young people will take responsibility for their health care when presented with an affordable plan.
In Alabama, 29.9 percent of those choosing a plan are African-American. That is the fourth highest percentage of any state. Carnes said African-American churches had a strong outreach program, and that had to be a factor.
The most popular plan offered in Alabama was the second-tier option called Silver. Seventy-seven percent chose that, which was higher than the national average.
Of those who selected a plan in Alabama, 85 percent qualified for financial assistance. That was the same as the national average.
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