The Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation has published this final report on open enrollment in the health insurance marketplaces for coverage year 2016. 12.7 million people signed up or automatically renewed their plans for 2016 coverage, and 4.9 million new customers signed up for 2016 coverage during the third Open Enrollment period ending February 1, 2016. The totals include enrollments in both the Federally Facilitated health insurance marketplace as well as the 12 State-based marketplaces. 9.6 million people (76 percent) signed up or were automatically enrolled in the 38 states that use the HealthCare.gov platform, and an additional 3.1 million (24 percent) were signed up in State-based Marketplaces.
The vast majority of marketplace consumers signed up for coverage with tax credits. More than 8 in 10 individuals (10.5 million) who selected or were automatically enrolled in a 2016 plan nationwide qualified for a tax credit. In HealthCare.gov states, the average tax credit is $290 per month, or 73 percent of the gross premium, and the average premium after tax credits is $106 per month.
The marketplaces continued to provide options to consumers. Consumers who switched to a different plan in 2016, saved an average of $40 per month, or nearly $480 annually, for the same level of coverage, compared to what they would have paid for their 2015 plan. People who switched issuers as well as plans saved $45 per month, or nearly $540 annually for the same level of coverage.
These final open enrollment figures do not include the additional 400,000 people who signed up on the New York and Minnesota Marketplaces for coverage through a Basic Health Program, which are state-based programs supported by the Affordable Care Act that provide health insurance coverage to low-income individuals many of whom would otherwise be eligible for qualified health plans.
This addendum provides more detailed state-level data:
The state-level data also is available for downloading as an Excel spreadsheet.
Ignatius Bau 