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DC Health Link Data Shows Strong Enrollment

January 10, 2014

(Washington, DC) —The DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority today released new data showing strong enrollment activity through DCHealthLink.com, the District of Columbia’s new on-line health insurance marketplace for individuals, families and small businesses. Since the exchange opened for business on October 1, DC Health Link has enrolled 20,290 people. This includes District residents who enrolled in private health plans and in Medicaid, as well as people with coverage through their employers.

“We are pleased to be providing quality, affordable health coverage options to over 20,000 people and look forward to continuing to work closely with our business and community partners to continue to educate and enroll District residents and small businesses,” said Diane C. Lewis, MPA, chair of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority Executive Board.

In December 2013, DC Health Link experienced significant enrollment activity in the areas of call volume and online enrollment. The highest call volume for DC Health Link Contact Center was 2,169 calls on December 23 (the deadline for District residents to select coverage with a January 1 effective date). Within the week prior to the deadline, DC Health Link’s online enrollment in private health plans doubled.
“Our experience in the last two weeks of December shows that consumers are deadline driven,” said Mila Kofman, J.D. executive director of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority.

ENROLLMENT

To date, 20,290 people have enrolled through DC Health Link in private health plans or Medicaid:

  • 2,649 enrolled in private health plans through the DC Health Link individual and family marketplace for coverage that begins on January 1,2014;
  • 4,677 people gained Medicaid coverage through DC Health Link; and
  • 11,967 people enrolled through the DC Health Link small business marketplace.

An additional 997 people have already enrolled for individual and family coverage that will begin on February 1, 2014.

People have until January 15, 2014 to complete an application and select a health plan in order to have coverage that begins on February 1, 2014. Open enrollment for individuals and families will continue through March 31, 2014 and there is no enrollment deadline for small businesses. Small businesses can establish their own open enrollment periods for their employees whenever they choose throughout the year.

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Jurisdiction:
Washington DC