In Brief: Covered California Enrolls More Than 728,000
Covered California Enrolls More Than 728,000
New data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicates that the Covered California exchange has signed up nearly a quarter of all Americans who have obtained commercial health insurance as part of the Affordable Care Act.
According to the HHS data, Covered California has signed up slightly more than 728,000 enrollees through Feb. 1. That's far more than any other state.
Florida is a distant second, with 296,892 enrollees through its federally-operated exchange. New York has the second-highest enrollment among states that operate their own exchange, with 211,960 enrolled.
The Obama Administration originally forecast that at least 806,000 Californians would sign up for coverage by the time the open enrollment period ends on March 31.
In most states, enrollment of women is significantly outstripping that of men, and California is no exception. To date, 54% of enrollees via Covered California are women.
Overall, almost 3.3 million Americans have purchased coverage through the exchanges since they opened for business last fall. Enrollment of young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 is also rising steadily, up 65% in January compared to December.
“These encouraging trends show that more Americans are enrolling every day, and finding quality, affordable coverage in the marketplace,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Drug Fees, Co-Payments Rise Under ACA
A new study by HealthPocket, a Sunnyvale-based healthcare survey firm, has concluded that fees and co-payments for drugs have skyrocketed since the rollout of the Affordable Care Act last fall.
According to HealthPocket's survey of health plans in 46 states, co-payments and fees for prescription drugs rose an average of 34%. Fees in bronze-level plans rose the most, at 58%, while those in the priciest platinum-level plans rose by 15%. Silver-level plans saw an increase of 36%; gold-level out-of-pocket costs rose 28%.
The survey noted that the average bronze-level co-payment for a generic drug rose 42% to $16.66, while the average specialty drug co-payment rose 226% to $190.65. As a matter of fact, specialty drug co-payments all experienced triple-digit percentage increases among all categories of coverage, although co-insurance payments dropped in most categories.
Generic drug co-pays decreased moderately for gold and platinum-level plans.
Despite the steep increases in some categories, the study noted that prior to the ACA, about one in five individual health plans lacked a pharmacy benefit. It is now mandated for all individual plans under federal law. And some fees are waived for over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin and folic acid when they are taken for preventative purposes.
"With co-payments and co-insurance fees rising, consumers must shop health plans more carefully. Co-payments, deductible amounts, and limits on annual drug spending should not be ignored," said Kev Coleman, head of research and data at HealthPocket.
