December 1, 2023
Today, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a Plan Selection Snapshot on early enrollment in private health insurance through CoverME.gov for 2024. A month into Open Enrollment on CoverME.gov, DHHS reports a year-over-year increase in new enrollees, including those transitioning from MaineCare coverage, and more than one in six returning members have actively made changes to their plan selections. For returning members, it is especially important to compare the available options as members’ needs and plans offered through the Marketplace change year to year.
In the first month of open enrollment, 58,497 Mainers, including more than 2,000 new consumers, have selected affordable health coverage for 2024. Approximately four out of five of those who selected plans qualify for financial help that lowers their monthly costs. CoverME.gov’s website is experiencing a significant increase in website visits and use of its Plan Compare Tool. There have been more than 60,000 visits to CoverME.gov in November and more than 17,000 people have used the Plan Compare Tool. The Plan Compare Tool allows users to compare plans side-by-side with regard to plan features, benefits, provider networks, prescription drug coverage, and total out-of-pocket costs, including premiums, deductibles, and estimated costs for services. CoverME.gov’s Consumer Assistance Center has been very busy helping consumers select or update health coverage, with more than 12,000 inbound and outbound calls and just under 1,700 online chats.
This year’s Open Enrollment, the third for Maine’s state-based health insurance marketplace, CoverME.gov, is particularly important as Maine’s health care landscape is undergoing a number of transitions.
- First, eligibility reviews are ongoing for all members of MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program, following the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. This process is known as “unwinding.” As of November 26, over 173,000 Maine people have successfully renewed their MaineCare coverage through this process. Today, DHHS released additional updated renewal data at the MaineCare unwinding data dashboard. Those who no longer qualify for MaineCare coverage are encouraged to explore their options for coverage through CoverME.gov, as most people with household incomes just above the MaineCare eligiblity levels can find CoverME.gov health care coverage for $25 or less per month. While those no longer eligible for MaineCare are eligible for a CoverME.gov Special Enrollment Period, any resident can enroll during the Open Enrollment window that ends on January 16, 2024.
- Second, MaineCare now covers even more children because eligibility has increased to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or $90,000 annually for a family of four. Maine families can also enroll their 19- and 20-year-olds in this coverage.
- Finally, following national trends, private health insurers in Maine have increased health insurance premiums, on average, for plan year 2024. CoverME.gov helps protect many Mainers from the impacts of increased premiums by being the only place Mainers can go to get financial savings offered in the form of Advance Premium Tax Credits to help lower health care costs. Four out of 5 Mainers enrolled in CoverME.gov health insurance plans receive financial assistance to pay premiums, some paying as little as $10/month for comprehensive health coverage. CoverME.gov is also the place Mainer residents can go to more easily compare health and dental plans while taking into account their personal health care needs. Anecdotally, Maine’s certified enrollment assisters are reporting that most Mainers are able to find plans comparable to their coverage last year at rates comparable (and sometimes lower) than they paid in 2023. For some consumers, finding comparable premium rates has meant enrolling in a similar plan sold by a different health insurance carrier, a choice made easier by using CoverME.gov’s Plan Compare tool.
For Maine residents who don’t have access to health or dental plans through work, now is the time to enroll. To get coverage in place for January 1, 2024, consumers need to complete a few steps by December 15:
- Set up an account on CoverME.gov and sign in.
- Fill out the application to see the amount of financial savings available to you to help lower monthly costs.
- Pick a plan that fits your needs at a price that works for your budget.
For help finishing the application or choosing a plan, visit CoverME.gov and use the Plan Compare Tool, which allows users to compare plans side-by-side on features, benefits, provider networks, prescription drug coverage, and total out-of-pocket costs, including premiums, deductibles, and estimated costs for services. Or, call CoverME.gov at 1-866-636-0355 TTY: 711. To find a CoverME.gov registered broker or Maine Enrollment Assister (at no cost), go to CoverME.gov/localhelp.
Additionally, a new toolkit is now available for small businesses or health care advocates, assisters, and brokers who wish to share open enrollment information.