Groups Expect Surge In Enrollments Ahead Of Deadline

Several outlets report on open enrollment ahead of the Feb. 15 deadline to sign up for 2015 coverage. Modern Healthcare  (2/1, Subscription Publication) reported, for instance, that healthcare providers, insurers, community health centers and nonprofit groups nationwide “that are helping Americans sign up for exchange coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are working overtime leading up to the Feb. 15 open-enrollment deadline.” The article says they are expecting a surge in enrollments similar to what happened during the final weeks of last year’s sign-up period. They are also “paying particular attention to Republican-led states that have done little or nothing to promote enrollment and have large numbers of uninsured residents, such as Florida and Texas.”

The Belleville (IL) News-Democrat  (2/1) reported that James Spinner of the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation “said he expected a big upsurge in enrollment numbers as consumers learn about the financial penalties they face on their 2014 taxes for not obtaining health care insurance.”

Forbes  (2/1) reported that Silicon Valley startup Stride Health is aiding enrollment efforts by using “Big Data analytics to reduce costs and maximize benefits.” According to the article, Stride Health looks beyond premiums, evaluating the costs of prescriptions and analyzing “a huge data set of personal care consumption, which is tailored to your location and demographics.”

The Charlotte (NC) Observer  (2/2) and the Winona (MN) Daily News  (2/1) also report on the upcoming enrollment deadline.

Source article: http://mailview.bulletinhealthcare.com/mailview.aspx?m=2015020201nahu&r=6054053-a4c1