Kynect open enrollment going strong

Steady interest continues as Kentuckians sign up for coverage

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 2, 2014) – Open enrollment through kynect, the state’s health benefit exchange, continues to show strong interest from Kentuckians.

More than 80,000 people have conducted preliminary screenings to find out what kind of discount may be available to their families, and more than 7,000 Kentuckians have enrolled in new health plans.

Those who need health insurance are encouraged to log on to https://kynect.ky.gov or contact an insurance agent or kynector by Feb. 15, 2015 to see their options for quality, affordable health coverage in 2015. People who want their new coverage to take effect Jan. 1, 2015, should sign up by Dec. 15.

The following statistics were current as of 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 1:

• 135,583 unique visitors to the kynect website viewing more than 4 million pages;
• 80,599 individuals have conducted preliminary screenings;
• 55,318 calls have been handled by the kynect contact center;
• 7,557new accounts have been created;
• 11,516 applications have been submitted;
• 2,656 people have downloaded the new kynect app;
• 7,431 individuals have enrolled in a qualified health plan;
• 1,368 individuals have enrolled in dental plans; and
• 2,781 visitors to the kynect store at Fayette Mall in Lexington have completed 1,027 applications for new coverage.

Letters to the approximately 80,000 individuals who purchased qualified health plans during kynect’s first open enrollment period were recently mailed, detailing new premium and subsidy amounts. Individuals will be automatically enrolled in the same plans as last year, but officials encourage all Kentuckians to comparison shop to ensure they pick the best plan at the best price for themselves or their families.

Kentucky was hailed as a national leader last year when more than 521,000 Kentuckians enrolled in health care coverage through kynect. Three out of every four enrollees reported that they had no health insurance prior to signing up through kynect. A Gallup poll this summer reported that thanks to kynect, Kentucky had the second-highest reduction of uninsured people in the country, falling from 20.4 percent in 2013 to 11.9 percent midway through 2014.

Among improvements to kynect this year are:

• Enhancements at kynect.ky.gov to make seeing your costs and options and enrolling even easier;
• A kynect mobile app for Android and Apple devices that can give you a preliminary estimate and guide Kentuckians to help or enrollment events in their area;
• Additional call center staff and capacity; and
• A full-service enrollment retail storefront at the Fayette Mall in Lexington.

“We made tremendous headway last year, but we still have thousands of Kentuckians who need insurance for themselves and for their families,” said Carrie Banahan, executive director of kynect. “Not only do we encourage first-time insurance buyers to check out kynect online, by phone or in-person with an insurance agent or kynector, we are also strongly encouraging those who enrolled last year to check out the plans available for 2015. You could get a bigger subsidy, a lower monthly cost, or more network options if you shop again.”

Visit https://kynect.ky.gov or call 1-855-4kynect (459-6328) to learn more about affordable health care options for Kentuckians.