3 On Your Side: Low Healthcare Enrollment Numbers Released
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Six weeks after the rollout of the Healthcare.gov website, late this afternoon the government released the first enrollment numbers. 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan has been following the roll-out for the past two months and joins us now with a look at those numbers.
The good news? Thousands of people have enrolled nationwide and have been able to purchase insurance and others will now have coverage in states where Medicaid and CHIP plans were expanded. The bad news? If the White House expects seven million people to enroll by the end of March, they're aren't even close.
After a botched launch, technical glitches, and political posturing, the Obama administration Wednesday released the first enrollment numbers under the Affordable Care Act.
Nationwide 106,185 people purchased insurance through either the Healthcare.gov site or websites set-up and managed by individual states.
975,407 people nationwide have made it through the process and have applied, but haven't yet picked a plan.
While just under 396,261 people across the country have found themselves eligible for Medicaid or CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Plan).
Looking at numbers in our region:
In Delaware 97 people have purchased insurance so far, with an additional 1,200 enrolling in expanded Medicaid and CHIP.
In New Jersey 741 residents have purchased insurance with 17,460 now eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, the sixth highest number in the country.
In Pennsylvania 2207 people have bought insurance. While Pennsylvania hasn't expanded Medicaid, 3788 people so far were deemed eligible for Medicaid and CHIP.
While the Obama administration is reporting that the Healthcare.gov website continues to make steady improvements, it's important to note that only 25% of the people who have purchased insurance so far, have used that site. The largest number of people, 75%, have bought through sites set by the individual states.
