The Latest Healthcare.gov Enrollment Numbers

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Dec. 31, 2013 - PRLog -- Over 2 million U.S. residents have selected a healthcare plan through the federal and state-run Health Insurance Marketplaces in an unofficial tally released on December 30 and reported by CNBC’s John Harwood and cnbc.com. Harwood sites a last minute surge in state exchanges in California and other states for pushing the enrollments to approximately 2.016 million.

In December alone, more than 975,000 new enrollees selected health insurance plans through federally run exchanges – over seven times the number of enrollees in October and November. After its launch on October 1, 2013, technical glitches resulted in a rocky start to the Healthcare.gov enrollment process. However, the latest spike in enrollment numbers seems to indicate that Americans are now beginning to find it easier to select a healthcare plan.

It appears as though many online shoppers opted to wait until closer to the enrollment deadline for coverage to begin on January 1 (which was December 24th) to finalize selecting a plan for the New Year. Healthcare.gov was reported as hosting more than 83,000 concurrent shoppers at one time on December 23, 2013. If you missed the December 24^th enrollment deadline for coverage to being on January 1, you still have until March 31, 2014 to select a healthcare plan without penalty.

“The website is working well though it still may be difficult because it is complex. We have helped individuals who on their own took several hours to navigate the site with no success get coverage in about 20 minutes” says Josh Williams, owner and president of WNC Health Insurance / The Asheville Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina® Store. “It does not cost a penny more to work with an agent and it will probably save you a lot of time and you will better understand what you are actually purchasing.”

North Carolina Enrollment Numbers as of November 30

·         63,568 NC residents have applied for healthcare coverage through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.

·         35,589 NC residents have been deemed eligible for federal subsidies or financial assistance.

·         9,948 NC residents have been deemed eligible for Medicaid. Note: North Carolina opted not to expand its Medicaid program.

·         8,970 NC resident shave selected a health insurance plan.

(Most recent NC enrollment numbers as of November 30, 2013. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation)

For more information on the North Carolina Health Insurance Marketplace, or for personalized assistance in selecting a healthcare plan, visit: http://www.WNCHealthInsurance.com