More than 100,000 Clark County residents enrolled in health plans through the state-based insurance exchange in the last year.
Statewide, more than 1.5 million people accessed health coverage through Washington Healthplanfinder from Oct. 1, 2014 to Sept. 30.
The majority of people who accessed care through the exchange — both locally and statewide — enrolled in the state’s Medicaid plan, Apple Health.
In Clark County, 9,707 people purchased individual plans on the exchange and 96,316 people enrolled in Medicaid, for a total of 106,023 people, according the Washington Healthplanfinder’s latest enrollment report released Thursday. Clark County’s enrollment numbers ranked fifth-highest in the state, behind King, Snohomish, Pierce and Spokane counties.
Across the state, 152,517 people purchased individual health plans and 1,447,294 people enrolled in Medicaid, according to the report.
“These numbers demonstrate the effectiveness of the exchange in providing opportunity for people to find health coverage that meets their needs and budget,” said Pam MacEwan, the exchange CEO, in a news release. “This past year is indicative of slower, incremental growth expected in the future as a result of the continued reduction in our state’s uninsured.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Washington’s uninsured rate dropped from 14 percent in 2013 — the exchange opened in the fall of 2013 — to 9.2 percent in 2014. In Clark County, the uninsured rate dropped from 12.8 percent in 2013 to 8.8 percent last year.
In the last year, the majority of people with individual health plans (79 percent) qualified for tax credits to reduce the cost of coverage. The average monthly health plan premium for those qualifying for a tax credit was $174. Those without a tax credit paid an average of $381 per month, according to the report.
Adults 55 to 64 years old made up the largest percentage of individuals purchasing plans (35 percent), followed by 45- to 54-year-olds (21 percent). Children made up the largest percentage of people enrolled in Medicaid, with 48 percent of enrollees younger than 18.
Those who qualify for Medicaid can enroll at any time during the year, unlike those who are purchasing individual plans.
People buying coverage through the exchange, www.wahealthplanfinder.org, must sign up during the scheduled open enrollment periods each year. The next open enrollment period begins Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 31.
The exchange has sent letters to all current plan holders with information about how to renew their coverage. For more information, visit www.wahbexchange.org/renew.
