Health exchange enrollment tops 51,000

After a slow start, the number of enrollees in the state’s health insurance exchange, Connect for Health Colorado, reached 51,728 people.
Early projections indicated that the exchange could expect 22,215 to 61,000 people would enroll by the end of December.

An enrollment surge in the final weeks before a deadline for receiving coverage by Jan. 1 came closer helped push enrollment to projected levels.

The deadline was initially set for Dec. 15, but was then extended twice, with the cutoff ultimately occurring on Dec. 27. Those who enrolled by the deadline will insurance effective Jan. 1, but enrollments are not technically complete until policyholders make their first payments.

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Those whose coverage began Jan. 1 will receive invoices from their carriers and will need to make their first premium payments by Jan. 10.

Customers who access medical care after Jan. 1 but have not yet paid their premium may need to pay for the services and then submit a claim after their premium payment is received.

Connect for Health Colorado released for the first time Thursday the number of employees and dependents who have been enrolled in plans purchased through the Small Business Marketplace.

From October through December, the Small Business Marketplace had enrolled 1,045 employees and dependents, according to a release.

In order to qualify to purchase plans on the Small Business Marketplace, businesses must have a location in Colorado, have 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, and must offer coverage to its full-time employees.

Open enrollment for private health insurance through the exchange continues until March 2014. Those who enroll in January will have coverage effective Feb. 1.