Affordable Care Act enrollment for state, county

The goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is to reduce the cost of health care, in part by getting the uninsured to enroll in a private plan or Medicaid, for which more people now are eligible. Our state’s implementation began Oct. 1 when Washington Healthplanfinder, at www.wahealthplanfinder.org, was launched. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange, a public-private enterprise, runs the program and issues periodic reports on enrollment rates.

Being insured is now mandatory, and if you don’t qualify for Medicaid, you have until March 31 to sign up for a private plan. Those who qualify for federal assistance can sign up anytime.

The Washington Healthplanfinder website enables uninsured people to compare state-approved private insurance plans and see if they qualify for Medicaid or other assistance. Getting private insurance through the state program is not required. If you are already covered by an employer plan, you need not make a change.

Starting this year, individuals and families who are not insured through some plan will be assessed a penalty at tax time.

Washington health-care exchange enrollment

At www.wahealthplanfinder.org from Oct. 1 through Jan. 31. Definitions:

  • Qualified health plan: People enrolled in state-approved private health insurance offered at Washington Healthcare Exchange.
  • Medicaid redeterminations: People newly enrolled in Medicaid who had been eligible under old rules.
  • Medicaid newly covered: People who have qualified and enrolled in a Medicaid plan under expansion.
County Qualified health plan Medicaid redeterminations Medicaid newly covered Total % of total population
Adams 223 2,450 979 3,652 19.2%
San Juan 877 561 950 2,388 15.1%
Yakima 2,089 21,602 13,497 37,188 15.1%
Okanogan 699 2,594 2,091 5,384 13.0%
Franklin 654 6,897 3,605 11,156 13.0%
Chelan 1,347 4,276 3,464 9,087 12.3%
Grant 806 6,701 3,592 11,099 12.1%
Pacific 498 912 1,016 2,426 11.8%
Jefferson 957 973 1,589 3,519 11.8%
Klickitat 460 895 963 2,318 11.2%
Douglas 494 2,273 1,620 4,387 11.1%
Grays Harbor 875 3,654 3,251 7,780 10.9%
Pend Oreille 169 709 503 1,381 10.6%
Spokane 6,056 22,519 21,811 50,386 10.6%
Lewis 942 3,611 3,241 7,794 10.3%
Whatcom 4,320 7,548 9,169 21,037 10.2%
Wahkiakum 80 155 171 406 10.2%
Stevens 573 2,117 1,707 4,397 10.1%
Clallam 1,435 2,838 2,964 7,237 10.1%
Skagit 1,829 5,280 4,683 11,792 10.0%
Columbia 53 165 180 398 10.0%
Garfield 48 84 87 219 9.8%
Cowlitz 880 4,760 4,085 9,725 9.5%
Lincoln 141 477 355 973 9.3%
Walla Walla 704 2,766 2,049 5,519 9.3%
Benton 1,735 8,558 6,646 16,939 9.3%
Kittitas 594 1,342 1,715 3,651 8.8%
Ferry 91 318 265 674 8.7%
Asotin 267 754 816 1,837 8.4%
Clark 4,814 16,321 15,612 36,747 8.4%
Mason 659 2,273 2,159 5,091 8.4%
Thurston 3,061 8,052 9,588 20,701 8.0%
Skamania 158 374 339 871 7.8%
King 29,850 57,164 68,152 155,166 7.7%
Pierce 7,041 27,862 27,458 62,361 7.7%
Snohomish 8,640 21,410 22,334 52,384 7.1%
Kitsap 3,146 6,484 8,051 17,681 6.9%
Island 1,385 1,614 2,445 5,444 6.9%
Whitman 334 907 1,299 2,540 5.4%
Statewide 88,984 260,250 254,501 603,735 8.8%

SOURCE: Washington Health Benefit Exchange

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