The head of the New York Health Insurance Exchange says a new low-income plan will bring in New Yorkers who still haven’t enrolled in health coverage. Officials expect to reach 3 year goals.
Donna Frescatore, Executive Director of the New York State of Health Insurance Marketplace, says she’s pleased that more than 2 million state residents have signed up for insurance through the exchange. "We’ll reach our 3 year goal of reducing the number uninsured in New York by about a million people," says Frescatore.
Among some of the hard to reach demographics are the so-called “young invincibles”-healthy young adults. A recent health department report shows less than a third of those enrolled in the health exchange are in the target age group.
Frescatore says efforts on college campuses have helped bring in some of these young people, but she expects a new plan for households at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level will see that figure rise. "And we think that the “Essential Plan” in 2016 will offer then another attractive alternative to get health insurance coverage for themselves," says Frescatore.
The 2016 open enrollment period begins on November first.
