The Affordable Care Act deadline to sign up for individual health coverage in 2014 may have been March 31, but the enrollment data continue to grow.
More than 43,000 individuals have signed up since the deadline passed at the New York State of Health exchange, bringing the total number of enrollees up to 908,572 people.
Due to some website glitches, individuals who had taken steps to apply for coverage before March 31 were given a deadline extension to April 15 to apply for coverage.
More than 70 percent of those who signed up were uninsured at the time of their applications.
“The success of the marketplace in year one continues, and we”™re thrilled that more than 908,000 New Yorkers have enrolled in quality, low-cost insurance,” Donna Frescatore, executive director of NY State of Health, said in a press release. “We are well on our way to meeting or exceeding our goal of enrolling 1.1 million by the end of 2016. ”¦ As we approach the April 15 deadline for those who started their applications by March 31, we will continue to help individuals across the state to access the insurance coverage they need.”
The NY State of Health Customer Service Center answered more than 55,000 calls the week following the deadline. Those who did not sign up for coverage and are still uninsured will likely face a penalty on their income taxes in the coming year.
New York health exchange by the numbers
As of April 8:
”¢ 908,572 ”“ total people enrolled
”¢ 43,085 ”“ people enrolled since March 31
”¢ 1.2 million ”“ completed applications
”¢ 1.1 million ”“ 2016 enrollment goal
One more example that despite a very shaky start, the Affordable Care Act enrollment has been a success!