New numbers for New Jerseyans who signed up for health care under the Affordable Care Act — more than a quarter million from Nov. 15 to this past Sunday. Region II Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Jackie Cornell-Bechelli told NJTV News Correspondent Michael Hill that a large number of signups through the Affordable Care Act shows people want health insurance.
During the latest enrollment period, which ended Feb. 15, 253,000 New Jerseyans signed up, compared to 161,000 last year. Cornell-Bechelli said people realized that the Affordable Care Act is working and there were affordable options available, even more so than last year. She also said she thinks people are more educated about the process and the department was very open to hearing about consumer setbacks and correcting them, with the website for example.
“We took a lot of that into account and we’re very pleased to see the website worked pretty seamlessly through the entire period. And that resonated with people. They really felt that their experiences were heard and we were making the changes that helped them,” Cornell-Bechelli said.
Outreach about the options was a little more holistic this time, according to Cornell-Bechelli. “We worked really hard to find grassroots partners, faith leaders, different members of the community that could be the trusted validator. When people hear about something — whether it’s health care, car insurance, what have you — when they’re hearing about it from somebody they trust, they’re more likely to be receptive of what they’re hearing. So we worked really hard to find those trusted validators in communities, educate them and then they could educate their constituents, their congregants, what have you,” she said.
Although the deadline passed Sunday, Cornell-Bechelli explained there is an in line special enrollment period that ends Feb. 22 at midnight Eastern Standard Time. That extension applies to those who started an application but didn’t finish it for a variety of reasons, including needing more paperwork.
Members of Congress have been petitioning to create another window, according to Cornell-Bechelli. “We’re looking at that as a possibility to kind of capture people who realize that maybe they were hit with a penalty during this tax filing and they want to rectify that for 2015 by enrolling. So I don’t have a hard answer on that, but it is something we’re looking at closely,” she said.
Cornell-Bechelli said 82 percent of New Jerseyans are receiving credits, upwards of $300. While numbers are still being calculated, she said that 60 percent of enrollees were finding plans for under $100 per month, which she pointed out is affordable since it’s less than a cell phone or cable bill.
The nationwide goal was to sign up 10 million people in this latest enrollment period. Statistics show 11.4 million signed up. Cornell-Bechelli attributes that to people wanting health care coverage. “People feel like this is something they want. They like what the Affordable Care Act does for them. They like that preexisting conditions are no longer a barrier, that your insurance company now has to spend 80 percent of your premiums on serving you and not their salaries or their bonuses. And so I think a lot of the policies have now come into fruition and people can now wrap their hands around them. And that’s why signups were so successful,” she said.