Effective January 1, 2025, Waiting Periods Will No Longer Be Permitted for the Majority of Adult Dental Services Offered Through the Marketplace
New York State Continues to Explore Improvements to Adult Dental Benefits for 2026 and Beyond
ALBANY, N.Y. (April 4, 2024) – The New York State Department of Health, NY State of Health, and the Department of Financial Services announced today that, effective January 1, 2025, there will no longer be waiting periods for the majority of adult dental services for Individual Stand-Alone Dental Plans available to purchase on the Marketplace. This change is the first of a multi-phased initiative to improve dental products and to improve the dental plan shopping experience for consumers.
Earlier today I noted that New York has officially implemented their expansion of the Essential Plan, their branding of the ACA-funded Basic Health Plan (BHP) program that currently covers 1.2 million New Yorkers, from residents earning under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level up to those earning as much as 250% FPL.
In doing so, around 100,000 additional people are now enrolled in the BHP program, with roughly 62,000 of them now saving an average $4,700/year versus the ACA exchange plans they were previously enrolled in, plus another ~32,000 who I presume are completely new to either program.
New York's implementation of the ACA's Basic Health Plan provision (Section 1331 of the law) is called the Essential Plan. It currently serves 1.2 million New Yorkers, or over 4x as many residents as ACA exchange plans do.
Under the ACA, most states have expanded Medicaid to people with income up to 138 percent of the poverty level. But people with incomes very close to the Medicaid eligibility cutoff frequently experience changes in income that result in switching from Medicaid to ACA’s qualified health plans (QHPs) and back. This “churning” creates fluctuating healthcare costs and premiums, and increased administrative work for the insureds, the QHP carriers and Medicaid programs.
New York's implementation of the ACA's Basic Health Plan provision (Section 1331 of the law) is called the Essential Plan. It currently serves 1.2 million New Yorkers, or over 4x as many residents as ACA exchange plans do.
Under the ACA, most states have expanded Medicaid to people with income up to 138 percent of the poverty level. But people with incomes very close to the Medicaid eligibility cutoff frequently experience changes in income that result in switching from Medicaid to ACA’s qualified health plans (QHPs) and back. This “churning” creates fluctuating healthcare costs and premiums, and increased administrative work for the insureds, the QHP carriers and Medicaid programs.
Enrollment Remains Open Across All Marketplace Programs for Duration of Public Health Emergency Unwind
Albany, N.Y. (February 28, 2024) – Representatives from NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace, will make an appearance at job fairs across the State beginning next month to inform New Yorkers about their options for quality, affordable health insurance. Certified enrollment assistants will be available to help uninsured job seekers find a plan that fits their budget and health needs and guide existing enrollees through the new renewal process to keep their coverage current.
Certified Enrollment Assistors Visit Colleges Across New York State
New Yorkers Who Enroll by February 15 Will Have Coverage in Place for March 1
ALBANY, N.Y. (February 9, 2024) – NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace, today announced an informational college campaign, with events taking place on campuses throughout New York State. Certified enrollment assistors will be visiting schools to talk to students about affordable, quality health insurance through the Marketplace, and help current enrollees renew their coverage. Enrollment for 2024 coverage is currently open for Medicaid, Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, and Qualified Health Plans (QHP). Consumers who enroll by February 15 will have coverage for March 1.
By contrast, New York State of Health, also supposed to have a deadline of midnight tonight, just posted the following tweet without any formal press release being emailed or posted on their website. Of this writing there's also no notice posted on the front page website.
Very strange, although perhaps they'll send one out/post a notice tonight or tomorrow morning?
Monday marks the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the now-overturned Supreme Court decision that created the right to an abortion. The 51st may not be an anniversary you would typically mark, but it does fall on an election year. Although New York has long had abortion rights codified in state law, state lawmakers will celebrate the occasion by approving additional measures to expand access to reproductive care as Democrats again hope that the issue will drive voters to the polls in November in ways it hasn’t in the past.
New York already has some of the strongest abortion protections in the country, but state lawmakers annually see an opportunity to expand on reproductive rights.
Most of the report is devoted to breaking out enrollment in NY's Basic Health Plan (BHP) program, called the Essential Plan in the Empire State, but it also breaks out enrollment in Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) as of January 1st via their ACA exchange platform by county...including statewide summaries at the bottom.
As of January 1st, 2024, NYSoH reports:
1,197,534 BHP enrollees
276,962 QHP enrollees
I don't remember whether the deadline for January 1st effectuation was 12/15 or 12/31 in New York, but assuming it was 12/31 this means a whopping 32% more people signed up by New Year's Eve than last year at the same point (209,854). If it was 12/15, it's a bit higher (32.6%).
