The latest statistics on enrollment in California’s insurance marketplace, released this week, show what kinds of plans people selected in each region.
The complete statistics, broken down by 19 regions, are available on the Covered California exchange website.
The statistics cover sign ups through the end of March, the initial date for the end of open enrollment, which was later extended to April 15.
A few items of note:
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- In all regions, people eligible for subsidies most often selected silver plans, which offer middle-of-the-road coverage. About 70 percent of subsidized enrollees statewide chose silver plans.The state created five plan tiers, indicating the level of coverage. The least comprehensive is called “minimum coverage.” Then there are four tiers named after metals: bronze, silver, gold and platinum, listed from least to most comprehensive. The lower-coverage plans generally have lower premiums but may require higher out-of-pocket costs.
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- Those who were not eligible for subsidies were much more likely to chose plans across the spectrum. This probably reflects the fact that this group includes a people with a wide range of incomes, from those who almost qualify for subsidies to the wealthy. More enrollees without subsidies selected minimum coverage and bronze plans, than their subsidized counterparts. But unsubsidized enrollees were also more likely to select platinum and gold plans.
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- In several regions, including California’s northern-most counties, Alameda County, the San Joaquin Valley and Orange County, enrollees only selected plans from large insurance companies, presumably because plans from smaller insurers were not available in those areas. Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Health Net and Kaiser Permanente insured the bulk of exchange enrollees.
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- Several regions far exceeded initial enrollment goals. The Bay Area, for example, more than tripled initial projections, enrolling 289,021 people. Other areas, including Fresno, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, exceeded enrollment goals by smaller amounts.
The enrollment figures don’t reflect whether enrollees have paid their premiums or started coverage. Covered California said that information is forthcoming.