The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says nearly 57-hundred Ohioans chose healthcare plans in November through the federal online marketplace created by the federal health care law. The department says that is a five-fold increase over October, when problems with the website allowed eleven-hundred Ohioans to enroll. Sarah Jane Tribble of member station WCPN in Cleveland reports.
Many more are expected to sign up.
More than 51,000 Ohioans have completed the lengthy application process for themselves, spouses and children, according to the data.
Cathy Levine, executive director of the advocacy group Universal Healthcare Action Network of Ohio, says that THOSE numbers are good.
CATHY: I think Ohio is doing pretty well but we’ve got some room for improvement. I think overall these numbers are very promising because numbers went up a lot from October to November and we know they are going to go up much higher in December.
Ohio is among the 36 states relying on the federal website, HealthCare.gov. When the troubled website wasn’t working properly in October, just 1,150 Ohioans managed to select a plan.
The report shows among all states using the federal site, more than 137,000 have enrolled. That’s up from fewer than 27,000 in October.
The report details enrollment numbers as of Nov. 30. Consumers face a Dec. 23 enrollment deadline if they want coverage on Jan. 1.