Kansas is reporting a major boost in enrollment in the health insurance exchanges created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is reporting that 107,232 people signed up for plans on the federal exchange operating in the Hawkeye State.
While more than 97,000 Kansans signed up for plans during the open enrollment period, another 11,000 signed up during special periods aimed at enrolling those who hadn't joined during open enrollment period. Nationally, 943,034 people took advantage of the special provision periods to join their states' exchanges.
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According to data collected by the federal government, less than one-fifth of the Kansans who signed up outside of the open enrollment period did so in order to avoid the fine levied on individuals who don't purchase health insurance. Most of them were those who reported recently losing other coverage.
Another substantial group of people are joining the exchange after being denied access to Medicaid. A number of typical reasons for seeking new insurance, such as a change in marital status or moving to a new state, also explain the boost in exchange enrollment.
The good news is that the nearly one million enrollees outside of open enrollment –– across all 37 states providing data –– are younger on average than the initial enrollees. Forty-seven percent of them are under 35, compared to only to 36 percent of other enrollees. Some of the new enrollees, no doubt, are young people who were kicked off their parents' insurance after turning 26.
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