If Kentuckians looking for 2017 health plans on the federal marketplace are anything like those who obtained their 2016 plans through Kentucky’s state exchange, about 95 percent will enroll in Medicaid, according to a report released by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
Most Kentuckians without employer-provided insurance must enroll, or re-enroll, using Healthcare.gov, rather than the now-dismantled state-based health insurance exchange kynect. Of the nearly 26 percent of Kentuckians age 18-64 who obtained health coverage for 2016 through kynect, just 5 percent enrolled in private individual-market coverage, the report found.
The findings are in the latest report from an ongoing study of the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Kentucky, commissioned by the foundation in 2015. According to the report, 25.8 percent of Kentuckians ages 18-64 obtained their 2016 health coverage through kynect, which closed on Oct. 31 (except for those still needing 2016 coverage). Nearly 45 percent of those who enrolled through kynect said they were in fair or poor health, compared to 28.2 percent of Kentucky’s non-elderly adults overall reporting less-than-good health.
Tips for picking a health plan on Healthcare.gov, including the types of plans available and quality ratings, can be found here. The report, the 6thquarterly snapshot of the Study of the Impact of the ACA Implementation in Kentucky, is available by clicking for more information below.