This is the second year of open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act. The state said it has nearly exceeded its goals.
Jim Wadleigh runs Access Health CT, the state agency that oversees the implementation of the nation's new health law. He wanted to sign up 70,000 new people in this second year of open enrollment; one month in, he's got 66,000.
"It looks like we will again exceed our goal and we are very excited about this," Wadleigh said.
Of those new enrollees, 20,000 signed up for private health insurance plans; 46,000 enrolled in Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor.
People who wanted to buy coverage that starts on January 1 had until midnight Monday to sign up, and Wadleigh said 14,000 people did so on that day alone.
Wadleigh also said that he thinks a lot of the new enrollees in the private plans are signing up because their old, grandfathered plans are were discontinued under the Affordable Care Act. "We're making very good traction reaching our uninsured through the state of Connecticut," he said.
Wadleigh also said that of the roughly 80,000 people who enrolled in private insurance last year, 66,000 -- more than 80 percent -- have enrolled for another year of coverage. "We're very excited that our renewal process has worked successfully," he said.
Finally, Wadleigh said that between 1,000 and 2,000 customers a week have dropped their coverage since November, and he says he'll work to find out why.
The enrollment period lasts until February 15.
