News Feed
IMS Scores Big During CMS Open Enrollment
With CMS Marketplace Open Enrollment closing January 15th, new numbers show 14.5 million Americans have quality, affordable health coverage. IMS was instrumental in fielding outreach communications and events management teams in 12 states as part of this highly successful integrated communications strategy.
Current Administration top health advisers also credited enhanced personal one-on-one assistance via events and communications outreach strategies to connect more people to health insurance plans. Team IMS conducted a total of 422 events, in 12 states, during a pandemic, in an open enrollment that lasted only 2.5 months.
The record number included 5.8 million people who have newly gained coverage under the Administration. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the American Rescue Plan lowered health care costs for most Marketplace consumers and increased enrollment to these records levels: HealthCare.gov consumers saw their average monthly premium fall by 23%, compared to the 2021 enrollment period that ended before the American Rescue Plan passed. The enrollment numbers are a testament to the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to lowering costs for working families and reaching people where they are through concerted outreach.
IMS Teams were present conducting outreach campaigns in the following states: Texas, Florida, Arizona, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Virginia. Additionally, IMS teams are also present in California and the District of Columbia.
“The numbers say it all: We are delivering on our commitment to make health care a right for Americans and to ensure it is accessible and affordable,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We are proud to have completed the Biden-Harris Administration’s inaugural Open Enrollment with a record-breaking 14.5 million Americans who now have high-quality, low-cost health coverage, thanks to President Biden’s American Rescue Plan and our unprecedented outreach efforts. We will continue to deliver for the American people and work to ensure no one is left behind in getting access to the care they deserve.”
Of the 14.5 million people who have enrolled in Marketplace coverage through January 15, 2022, 10.3 million people live in the 33 states using HealthCare.gov and 4.2 million people live in the 17 states and the District of Columbia with State-based Marketplaces using their own platforms. To date, three million new consumers that were previously not enrolled in health coverage gained coverage nationwide, a 17% increase compared to the end of the 2021 OEP. Additionally, 32% of HealthCare.gov consumers (3.2 million) selected a plan for $10 or less per month after the additional subsidies provided by the American Rescue Plan. These numbers are likely to grow as enrollment remains open in several State-based Marketplaces.
“We are proud that this Open Enrollment Period and President Biden’s American Rescue Plan enabled a historic 14.5 million people to sign up for quality and affordable health care coverage,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “Investing in financial assistance and outreach allows more people to have access to the care that they need.”
This week, HHS’s office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is also releasing a report analyzing new survey data that showed the uninsured rate fell in 2021 after the American Rescue Plan and outreach efforts took effect. According to the report, the uninsured rate for U.S. population was 8.9% for the third quarter of 2021 (July – September 2021), down from 10.3% for the last quarter of 2020 – corresponding to roughly 4.6 million more people with coverage over that time period. Coverage gains occurred among both children and working age adults, with the largest coverage gains for those with incomes under 200% of the poverty level (roughly $27,000 for a single adult or $56,000 for a family of four).
During the 2022 OEP, the Biden-Harris Administration worked to ensure health equity by increasing outreach to communities that have historically been uninsured or underinsured. Through CMS, HHS revamped the Champions for Coverage program and quadrupled the number of Navigators to 1,500 certified Navigators ready to help consumers enroll, and held over 1,800 outreach and education events at accessible areas.
According to the CMS release, the success of the Biden-Harris Administration’s first OEP affirms the Administration’s commitment to making health care affordable and accessible for consumers and builds on the momentum of the 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, through the 2021 SEP and the 2022 OEP, 5.8 million people across the country newly gained access to affordable health care coverage subsidized by the President’s American Rescue Plan. That includes 2.8 million during the 2021 SEP and 3 million during the 2022 OEP.
To view the Marketplace 2022 OEP National Snapshot; visit: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/marketplace-2022-open-enrollment-period-report-final-national-snapshot
To view the ASPE report; visit: https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/health-coverage-changes-2020-2021
