Rescue Plan lowers health plan costs, drives record sign-ups, state exchange says

More than 57,000 Washington residents signed up for health care coverage between Feb. 15 and Aug. 15 on the state’s insurance marketplace, according to Washington Healthplanfinder.

The Washington Health Benefit Exchange opened a special enrollment period in February in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic upheaval. Any individual in Washington was able to apply for coverage or compare and upgrade their existing insurance.

Exchange CEO Pam MacEwan credits the surge in enrollments to increased savings available through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

“These new premium subsidies are available to people across all income brackets in a way we’ve never seen before,” MacEwan said in a news release.

More than 28,000 new customers signed up for coverage after May 6 when ARPA subsidies were implemented. That was a 117% increase over the same period in 2020 and a 160% increase compared to 2019.

Some savings were dramatic, according to the exchange’s news release. More than 34,000 customers now receive health coverage for $1 per month or less, and nearly half of all Washington Healthplanfinder customers pay less than $100 per month, according to the exchange’s report.

Meanwhile, about 23,000 middle-income families (those with incomes over 400% of the federal poverty level) who were previously ineligible for federal savings saw their monthly premiums drop by nearly $200 per month on average, exchange data shows.

The ARPA savings will continue to be available during the next annual open enrollment period which begins Nov. 1, the exchange news release says.

This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 12:12 PM.