FRANKFORT, KY (AP) – U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Kentucky’s switch to the federal marketplace could have confused some consumers during the first month of open enrollment.
Just over 66,000 Kentuckians have signed up for health insurance in the federal marketplace through Dec. 19, the deadline to ensure coverage by Jan. 1. Open enrollment continues through Jan. 31. The numbers are down from the same time period in 2014, when more than 84,000 Kentuckians enrolled in a health insurance plan.
This is the first year Kentuckians have used the federal marketplace to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Previously, Kentuckians used a state-based system called kynect. Republican Gov. Matt Bevin ended kynect when he took office last year.
Nationwide, the administration said Wednesday that 6.4 million people have enrolled for subsidized private coverage through HealthCare.gov, ahead of last year’s pace.
Despite rising premiums, dwindling insurers and the Republican vow to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law, about 400,000 more people signed up through Monday than for a comparable period in 2015, the Health and Human Services Department said.