Maine: @CoverME_gov enrolls 13.8K in first 4 weeks of 2022 OEP; #GetCovered today!

Just yesterday I realized that CoverME, Maine's new state-based ACA exchange, had issued their first enrollment report for the first 2 weeks of the 2022 Open Enrollment Period.

It turns out that the same day I posted about it, the Maine HHS Dept. was posting a second report which runs through the first four weeks:

CoverME.gov Open Enrollment Update: November 1-27

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) today released an update on plan selections through CoverME.gov, Maine’s new Health Insurance Marketplace.

OHIM provided the first update on November 18 and will continue updates every two weeks throughout open enrollment, which began on November 1, 2021 and ends on January 15, 2022.

Since the start of open enrollment through November 27 on CoverME.gov:

• 13,820 Mainers actively selected plans for affordable health coverage in 2022.
• This includes 2,014 new consumers and 11,806 returning consumers who actively selected a plan for 2022.
• 42,538 users have visited CoverME.gov.
• 15,710 calls and chats have been received by The Consumer Assistance Center.
• 16,745 people have used the Plan Compare tool, which allows users to get information about eligibility for financial assistance and evaluate plan options prior to starting an application.

Last year 16,602 Maine residents had selected Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) in the first 28 days, so 13,820 is down about 13.7% when adjusted for the missing day. On the other hand, Maine also split off from the federal ACA exchange (HealthCare.Gov) this year and is in the process of transitioning all of their current enrollees over to a new platform, so this isn't really a fair comparison (by contrast, New Mexico, another state which is transitioning to its own ACA platform, is officially down over 50% from the same point last year).

In short, there's no fair way to do an apples to apples comparison for Maine, New Mexico or Kentucky (the third state making the move) until after the dust settles on auto-renewals in a few weeks.

Plan selections provide a snapshot of activity by new and returning consumers who have selected a plan for 2022. “Plan selections” become “enrollments” once consumers have paid their first monthly premium to begin coverage. These numbers are subject to change as consumers may modify or cancel plans after their initial selection.

The deadline to select a plan for coverage beginning January 1, 2022 is December 15, 2021. Consumers who select a plan after that date will have coverage beginning February 1, 2022.

As in previous years, those who already have a Marketplace plan will be automatically re-enrolled in their current plan or the most similar offering from their health insurance carrier. Consumers are encouraged to visit CoverME.gov to check out new plans and update their family and income information as new financial assistance is available that may offer more affordable coverage that best meets their needs.