Positive Momentum

From Hawaii Health Connector December 27, 2013

Many took advantage of the extra day to enroll. We have made significant increases in enrollment over the past few days, but we know there are still many more in Hawaii that we would like to reach. We would like to continue this positive momentum through the remainder of this open enrollment period, which ends March 31, 2014.

It's important to note that although the deadline to have health insurance coverage beginning January 1, 2014 has passed, individuals still have until March 31, 2014 to enroll in a plan through the Hawaii Health Connector to receive important tax subsidies and avoid tax penalties. If they sign up by January 15, 2014, coverage begins on February 1, 2014.

For those that made a good-faith effort to complete an application but are unsure of the application status, we encourage those consumers to call our Customer Support Center. We will review applications on a case by case basis.

A total of 2,034 individuals have enrolled in a health plan and 296 businesses have applied for a health plan through the Connector as of December 25. There were dramatic surges in individual enrollment in the last two days leading up to the December 24 deadline with 575 enrollments completed on December 23 and 24. 

(2034 + 296 = 2330)

($204M to fund this turkey / 2330 = $88K per enrollment)

Until last week, the Connector’s Customer Support Center was receiving an average of 450 calls per day. The number of phone calls climbed within the last week and peaked at 2,772 calls on December 23. In addition to the calls, the Customer Support Center was able to respond to 3,000 additional inquiries from those who left messages.

There were 10,653 unique visitors to the Connector's website from December 22 to December 24, representing an increase of 60 percent over the period from December 19 to December 21. There were also 40,919 page views, or a 90 percent increase during the same periods.

The Marketplace Assister Organizations statewide also played a major role in the enrollment process. As of December 23, more than 5,000 applications have been generated from the MAO's.

Thank you for your continued support.

Tom Matsuda, Executive Director

P.S. Did you get to enroll for January 1st coverage? If so, reply to this email and share what having insurance coverage means to you with us.