LANSING – Just 1,329 Michiganders have completed enrollment in a health insurance plan through the deeply troubled federal exchange in the first month of operations, a pace that would put enrollment numbers a whopping 95 percent below the forecast for enrollment in the first year.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the much-anticipated numbers Wednesday of how many people have enrolled and attempted to enroll in an insurance plan through either state-run exchanges or through the federal exchange, which has suffered severe technological failures that, if not corrected soon, could put the viability of the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act at risk.
Nationally, just 106,185 have completed enrollment and purchased a health insurance plan, and three-quarters of those came from the state-run exchanges, which have had a less troubled rollout than the federal exchange, although The New York Times reported this week that the difficulties at the state exchanges, while not of the catastrophic nature at the federal exchange, are still significant.
In Michigan, 23,987 completed applications representing 44,025 people. Of the 44,025, 34,197 have been determined eligible to enroll with 12,468 of those eligible for financial assistance. Some 4,978 were determined eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The remaining 4,850 are pending review.
There is one caveat: Numbers for states in the federal exchange, like Michigan, do not include applications made via paper or through call centers. Health and Human Services said nationally some 259,107 applications arrived via those methods.
State officials had estimated 360,000 in Michigan would sign up for the exchange in the first year. But if the current pace continues, just 16,000 will do so.
The data reflects activity from October 1 through November 2.
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