PROVIDENCE – A total of 7,929 Rhode Islanders had enrolled for health insurance through the HealthSource RI exchange as of Nov. 30, of which 5,280 enrolled for Medicaid and 2,649 enrolled for individual or family plans, according to a Friday report from HealthSource RI and the R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
Enrolled individuals who had already paid for their coverage totaled 1,611; 1,038 had not yet paid as of Nov. 30.
Notably, while the demographic breakdown of the enrollment figures showed an even distribution by gender, distribution by age leaned toward older Rhode Islanders.
A total of 1,691 enrollees, or 64 percent of the 2,649 individual and family plan enrollees, fell in the 45-54 and 55-64 age categories. Dara Chadwick, a spokeswoman for HealthSource RI, told Providence Business News earlier this month that attracting young people to the exchange would be key to HealthSource RI’s success.
A Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council report published last month highlighted the risk of adverse selection, when younger, healthier individuals forgoing insurance while large numbers of older individuals with pre-existing conditions purchase insurance, resulting a narrow, high-risk pool with higher costs.
HealthSource RI enrollment breakdown by age:
- Under age 18: 104
- Age 18-25: 207
- Age 26-34: 310
- Age 35-44: 311
- Age 45-54: 629
- Age 55-64: 1,062
- Over age 65: 26
HealthSource RI enrollment breakdown by gender:
- Male: 1,207
- Female: 1,442
HealthSource RI enrollment breakdown by plan type:
- Catastrophic: 29
- Bronze-level plan: 548
- Silver-level plan: 1,508
- Gold-level plan: 564
HealthSource RI enrollment breakdown by financial assistance received:
- No financial assistance: 313
- Advanced premium tax credits: 1,111
- Advanced premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions: 1,225
The 2,649 individual and family plan enrollees did not include 760 employees who signed up at HealthSource RI through their employers. The HealthSource RI report stated that 630 employer applications have been initiated since small-business enrollment began in mid-November, but only 26 completed enrollment.
HealthSource RI also released Friday several metrics demonstrating the level of interest Rhode Islanders have shown in the state exchange. Since Oct. 1, when the exchange launched, HealthSource RI reports 37,738 calls made to the contact center, and 4,291 walk-in visits.
Visits to the HealthSource RI website totaled 201,219 as of Nov. 20, unique website visits numbered 169,059 and total accounts created stood at 30,207.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Census Bureau, Rhode Island’s exchange is been among the most successful in the country, in terms of the number of people signing up proportionate to the state’s overall population.
