More Mass. consumers signing up for insurance through Connector

Outreach by the Massachusetts Health Connector to the Latino community and other “target populations” contributed to 63,000 people newly signing up for private health insurance coverage in 2017, a nearly 30 percent increase over last year.

“Even though Massachusetts has the nation-leading highest rate of insureds, it was certainly my sense last year that we had not begun to plumb the depths of ethnic media outreach and community outreach and I think this year’s open enrollment showed really good results,” Connector Executive Director Louis Gutierrez told the Connector Board.

Health insurance coverage is mandatory in Massachusetts and most people are enrolled through their employers or under government-funded programs. Officials at the Connector during the most recent open enrollment period urged consumers without plans to shop around because premiums were spiking upwards.

Last September the Connector reported an overall 19 percent increase in unsubsidized plan premium costs. About 15 percent of those using the Connector changed their health insurance carrier during the most recent cycle, compared to 3 to 7 percent in past years, officials said.

The state authority created under the 2006 coverage law signed by former Gov. Mitt Romney worked with Archipelago Strategies Group to foster a “culture of coverage” around the state, combining ads with media appearances and community outreach, communications director Jason Lefferts. The authority serves as a clearinghouse for consumers, enabling them to shop for privately administered plans if they don’t get insurance through their employers or the government.

In Mattapan new enrollment was up 70 percent compared to a year ago, and new enrollment was up 50 percent or more in East Boston and Chelsea, according to the Connector. The agency reported 45 percent of new enrollees are under 35 years old compared to a third of the renewing population in that age bracket.

“We tried to be where these uninsured people are more than we did in the past,” Lefferts told the board. He said, “We know a younger, healthier population is good for the entire market.”

Lefferts said the 63,000 new signups - significantly higher than the number reported right after the Jan. 31 end of open enrollment - includes people whose coverage didn’t start until March 30. There were 49,000 people who signed up for coverage through the Connector in 2016, according to the agency.

Sharp increases in premium costs for plans offered on health exchanges around the country fueled President Donald Trump’s criticism of the Affordable Care Act, which provides the underpinnings for the state’s health exchange and expanded MassHealth coverage.

Trump and the Republican-led Congress this year mounted an unsuccessful push to repeal and replace the ACA, and Gutierrez said uncertainty has not had a detrimental effect on enrollment.

During the open enrollment period, people who were enrolled in coverage through the Connector might choose not to renew for a variety of reasons. They might obtain coverage through an employer, move out of state or move onto MassHealth.

After accounting for people who are no longer signed up for plans through the Connector, the net increase in all non-group Connector enrollment was 12,537, bringing the total to 246,073, according to the Connector.

The Connector targeted its outreach on neighborhoods of Boston and mid-sized cities such as Brockton, Everett and Worcester that have “harder-to-reach populations.” On the whole, the targeted communities’ new enrollments increased 37 percent over 2016 new enrollments.

Archipelago Strategies Group assisted the Connector with outreach as part of a $1.1 million budget.


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