Healthcare.gov Enrollment Extended for Eligible Hawai‘i Residents

Gov. David Ige. State of Hawai’i Governor’s Office photo.

Gov. David Y. Ige announced today that the State of Hawai‘i has negotiated an agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to offer a special enrollment period for eligible Hawai‘i residents who are seeking healthcare coverage through healthcare.gov.

The enrollment will be effective for up to 60 days from Dec. 18, and participating Hawai‘i health insurance plans have agreed to make coverage retroactive to Jan. 1, 2016, to avoid any gaps during the special enrollment period.

“When people have access to affordable healthcare coverage, their health outcomes are more positive and our four decades of experience with Hawai‘i’s Prepaid Health Care Act of 1974 have shown us that,”said Gov. Ige. “We appreciate the federal government’s understanding of the special circumstances our residents from Compact nations face when seeking health care services in Hawai‘i,”

The additional enrollment period was approved by CMS to address barriers to enrollment for citizens from the Compact [Compact of Free Association] nations as a result of the state’s transition from a private nonprofit marketplace to Healthcare.gov.

“One of the most critical barriers to enrollment has been the need for increased interpreter services on the Healthcare.gov call center for Hawai‘i residents from the Compact nations,” said Rachael Wong, director of Human Services. “Our outreach team—who joined us from the Connector and have deep connections in the community—continues to work closely with local assister organizations to walk people through the process of re-enrollment.”

According to data just released from CMS, the total number of people covered through 2015 enrollment in the Hawai‘i Health Connector was 16,803. For the current 2016 open enrollment period, which started on Nov. 1, preliminary reports from the Hawai‘i Insurance Division indicate enrollments of approximately 12,500. The State of Hawai‘i believes that the difference between 2015 and 2016 data is likely related to citizens from Compact nations who have been unable to enroll in Healthcare.gov.

On Dec. 4, 2015, the State of Hawai‘i accepted responsibility for certain functions of the private, nonprofit, Hawai‘i Health Connector (Connector), which closed operations due to insufficient funding. Due to the demise of the Connector, individuals who received health insurance coverage in 2015 through the Connector are required to re-enroll in Healthcare.gov to receive coverage in 2016.

The CMS guidance on the Special Enrollment Period for Compact of Free Association Migrants in Hawaii is posted online.