State will reopen kynect enrollment for eight days, starting today

Officials cite heavy demand; Kentuckians who encountered problems, need to select a plan can still enroll

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 4, 2014) – Because of high demand, kynect has scheduled a special enrollment period to give Kentuckians who had trouble starting or completing applications during open enrollment a final opportunity to apply for subsidies and purchase new affordable health coverage from today through midnight April 11.

Kentuckians who completed their applications by March 31 can visit the kynect.ky.gov website beginning April 4 to select a plan. All individuals must select a plan by midnight April 15, with coverage beginning May 1.

“This will be the last chance for most people to sign up for private health plans and possibly receive discounts until the fall open enrollment period,” said Carrie Banahan, executive director of kynect. “We strongly encourage those who still need to select a plan to do so as soon as possible. Those who have started applications should work to complete them quickly too, to reduce possible wait times toward the end of the grace period.”

To take advantage of the special enrollment period, Kentuckians will be asked to attest that they attempted to complete an application by March 31, 2014, and had problems doing so. On the kynect website, this will mean simply selecting a button when the special enrollment screen comes up. Applications must be completed by midnight April 11, and a plan must be selected by midnight April 15.

Kentuckians who need assistance can also contact the kynect call center at 1-855-4kynect weekdays from 7 a.m. to midnight Eastern time  or from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, Saturday and Sunday. They can also search at kynect.ky.gov to find a kynector or insurance agent who can assist them with enrollment, or visit a local Department for Community Based Services office.

After the open enrollment period, individuals will still be able to apply for Medicaid. Only those who experience a qualifying event, such as the loss of employer-sponsored health insurance coverage, will be able to purchase private health plans. The next open enrollment period begins Nov. 15, 2014.

After a huge surge of applications in the final days of the official open enrollment period, more than 370,000Kentuckians had enrolled in new healthcare coverage through kynect between Oct. 1 and March 31. More than 1 out of every 12 Kentuckians, or 8.6 percent of the state’s population, now has health insurance through kynect.

For further updates on kynect numbers, visit governor.ky.gov/healthierky. Statistics will be updated there regularly.