Over 90,000 Kansans have health plan using Affordable Care Act marketplace

More than 90,000 Kansans and 8.6 million Americans registered or automatically re-enrolled in a health plan by using the Affordable Care Act’s online Health Insurance Marketplace.

A year after issues with the website ruined HealthCare.gov’s debut, coordinators at the state and local level called the 2014-15 sign-up period a success. The three-month open enrollment period concluded Feb. 15.

“This was a good year,” said Kevin Counihan, the marketplace CEO. “We’re looking forward to doing it even better next year.”

Combined with the 13 states that run their own marketplaces, a total of 11.4 million people signed up or automatically re-enrolled this year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kansas produced a total of 96,226 consumers, good for 23rd among all other states.

Numbers that specified how many sign-ups were automatic re-enollments were not available Wednesday.

Last year, 57,000 Kansans and 7.75 million Americans signed up with the federal marketplace, according to Health and Human Services.

Jordan Rickabaugh, the eastern Kansas navigator coordinator for the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, said 13,000 Kansans signed up in the enrollment period’s final two weeks. Counihan said that nationally, more people signed up Feb. 15 than any other day of the enrollment period this year or last year.

Rickabaugh said users encountered some trouble with the website on the second-to-last day of the enrollment period. Those who logged in that day and attempted to make a purchase can still enroll in a plan until Feb. 22, she said.

“I think this year’s enrollment ran really smoothly compared to last year’s,” Rickabaugh said. “We’re happy.”

Navigators are also still available for consultation in the event that anyone experience a life-changing event, such as the birth of a child or loss of other health coverage, Rickabaugh said.