Enrollment in Affordable Care Act up in second enrollment period

April 23--SOUTHEASTERN N.C. -- More North Carolinians signed up for health care coverage through the health insurance marketplace during the second open enrollment period.

Health care professionals hope this increase will ultimately lead to a healthier population.

Round two of registration for the Affordable Care Act ran from Nov. 15 through Feb. 15. More than half a million people signed up statewide, versus more than 350,000 signups during the first open enrollment, which ran Oct. 1, 2013, through March 31, 2014.

In New Hanover, almost 16,000 residents signed up for health insurance through the marketplace this time around -- 61.1 percent more than the first round of registrations. The numbers were similar for Brunswick and Pender, which saw a 62.3 percent increase and a 61.2 percent increase, respectively.

"That's what we at the hospital want to see is more people with access to health care, and truly the quickest way to have access to health care is to have insurance," said Scott Whisnant, administrator of community relations at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

He said the hospital saw roughly twice as many people on insurance through the exchange this year compared to last year. It's still a small number, he noted, but a positive trend nonetheless. Whether those people were insured before they joined the marketplace is unknown.

Uncompensated care comes in two forms: charity care, in which the hospital expected to not be paid, and bad debt, in which the hospital thought it would be paid, but patients are unable to do so. Charity care decreased this year, but the amount of debt increased. A lot of people in the insurance exchange may fall into the category of those who are insured, but can't afford co-pays and deductibles.

"Overall, we're doing a little bit more uncompensated care than we did at this time last year," Whisnant said, adding that because volumes are up, uncompensated care as a percentage of overall care went down a bit. At this point, the impact is minimal.

The increase in patients insured through the marketplace was expected, Whisnant said, and caused by several factors: A more coordinated effort in the community to get people signed up, an increase in the penalty for being uninsured, an improvement in the economy and a better understanding of what the Affordable Care Act is and how it can help.

"It definitely shows that consumer interest is there, and we're happy to see that even more Americans are hearing about this and understanding how it can help them and their family," said Jessica McCarron, regional communications director for Enroll America, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring the maximum number of Americans enroll in health care coverage.

The numbers come from Enroll America, which analyzed data provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Christine McNamee, executive director of Cape Fear HealthNet, credits the increase to a couple of things. For one, more people know about the Affordable Care Act and its requirements.

Locally, Cape Fear HealthNet employed more people in Southeastern North Carolina to help guide people through the enrollment process.

McNamee hopes to see more people taking advantage of preventative care since doctor visits will be more affordable rather than waiting for a crisis. If patients go in for wellness checks, they could find out about issues sooner and address them.

"It should mean a healthier population," McNamee said.

Though the 2015 open enrollment period is now closed, those who qualify still have opportunities for a special enrollment period due to a life-changing event like marriage, having a baby or losing other coverage.

Another tax-filing special enrollment period runs through April 30. Some people can still apply for a 2015 plan by the end of this month if they were uninsured in 2014, owe a fee for not having health insurance in 2014 and didn't understand how the requirement would affect them.

Lydia Coutre: 910-343-2223

On Twitter: @LydiaCoutreSN

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