MADISON, Wis. (AP) - With still a month to go, the number of Wisconsin residents signing up for federal health plans is about 50,000 less than last year.
Federal data shows nearly 173,800 people have signed up in Wisconsin as of Dec. 19, including more than 67,800 in Milwaukee County, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (https://bit.ly/2hMLb0J ) reported. The deadline for coverage to begin was Jan 1. The open-enrollment period will continue until Jan. 31.
More than 224,200 people in Wisconsin bought health plans on the marketplace at the end of the last open-enrollment period.
While the number of people that will buy health plans by the open-enrollment deadline is unknown, most people with coverage have already bought new plans, were automatically re-enrolled in their existing plans or were assigned to new plans if their health insurer left the market, said Todd Catlin of Transition Benefits in Brookfield.
Changes to plans can be made until the deadline.
Madison area health insurers have increased rates by about 25 percent, which is higher than many markets in the state.
However, Rob Plesha, Unity Health Insurance and Gundersen Health Plan, said most people who buy plans on the marketplaces receive subsidies and are protected from rate increases.
Those who are affected don’t qualify for federal subsidies, which cap the percentage of a person’s income that goes toward the cost of insurance.
In the area of Milwaukee the most inexpensive plan for a family with 40-year-old parents is more than $1,000, with a deductible of $5,000 or more and maximum out-of-pocket expenses of $7,150 for one family member and $14,300 for the family, said Caitlin.
Those plans also exclude at least one health system.
President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican leadership in Congress have vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But they have not said what alternatives might replace it.
The replacement plan is anticipated to allow more flexibility with benefits and deductibles of health plans, which could result in lower costs for people who are younger and healthier.
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