The Hawai‘i Health Connector enrolled 257 individuals in "Obamacare" health plans during its first month of operation.
Connector officials Friday released enrollment figures for the first time for the online marketplace created by President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Connector Executive Director Coral Andrews said the state is not expecting a surge in enrollees until December since coverage doesn’t begin until Jan. 1.
"We’re going to see those numbers go up. People are not going to make that final decision until they get much closer to December," Andrews said. "Most people don’t want to pay their money until they get closer to Jan. 1."
In addition to the 257 individuals who enrolled, 113 employers have submitted applications through Hawaii’s online exchange designed to match low-income residents with subsidized health coverage, Connector officials said.
The Obama administration reported Wednesday that more than 106,000 people selected medical plans in October, the first month of open enrollment. Hawaii was one of only three states not included in that report.
Also on Friday, Hawaii Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito said he is urging Hawaii’s health insurance companies to continue their existing plans temporarily.
Obama announced Thursday a policy reversal that allows insurers to keep individuals in their existing health plans that were slated to be canceled because they did not meet minimum benefit requirements under the health reform law.
Between 25,000 and 30,000 Hawaii residents with individual plans and 140,000 people covered by small-business policies were in line to have their medical plans canceled or altered Jan. 1.
"What happened yesterday really is going to create more confusion not only for consumers and businesses, but also for us as regulators," Ito said. "It ultimately may end up causing rates to go up even higher."
Hawaii Medical Service Association, the state’s largest health insurer, said Friday it will extend current health plans for another year for roughly 12,400 individual plan members and 8,000 small businesses.
Individual plan members who don’t choose a new ACA plan by Dec. 15 will be automatically re-enrolled in their current plan for another year to ensure they don’t lose coverage, HMSA said. Small businesses will be able to re-enroll in their current plan when they renew their policies in 2014.
"We intend to file appropriate rate increases for individual and small business plans soon," Elisa Yadao, HMSA senior vice president of consumer experience, said in a statement.
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has yet to make a decision on whether to continue its current plans.
"We are still looking at the feasibility of executing the insurance commissioner’s request," Kaiser spokeswoman Laura Lott said in an email. "Changes of this kind, this far in to the process if not handled carefully, could cause further problems, which is the last thing anyone wants to happen. We will continue to work to minimize any unintended effects, and avoid as much as possible further disruption for individuals and families."
Obama’s policy reversal will also result in the Hawai‘i Health Connector re-evaluating its goals for enrollment.
Andrews previously told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that she expected to enroll as many as 300,000, including an estimated 100,000 uninsured, in the first few years of operation.
"As far as the 300,000 projection, what I’m comfortable saying today is that the recent announcement by the president of the option for people to remain on their existing plan is going to necessitate that we re-evaluate that projection."
The Affordable Care Act requires most Americans to obtain health coverage next year or face tax penalties.
