News

4,315 People in the Yuma Area Gain Coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace

Melissa Stafford Jones, the Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced today that as of the close of open enrollment in mid-February, 4,315 people in the Yuma area had selected plans or were automatically re-enrolled through the Health Insurance Marketplace, the online exchange for comprehensive, affordable health coverage.

Along with 11.4 million Americans who got covered during this year’s open enrollment period, Yumans sent a powerful message: The Affordable Care Act is working, and the health coverage offered on the Health Insurance Marketplace is a product that consumers need, want, and like. 

According to Ms. Stafford Jones, a total of 205,666 Arizonans are now enrolled in Marketplace insurance. Of those, 75 percent (154,250 people) qualified for an average tax credit of $155 per month, and 52 percent paid $100 a month or less per month after tax credits. 

It’s not hard to figure out why consumers were enthusiastic, she added. This year’s Marketplace offered quality insurance plans—and the financial and health security that comes with coverage—at a price they could afford.  Ms. Amanda Aguirre, Co-Chair of the Get Covered Arizona Western Coalition, an umbrella group of organizations focused on enrolling Yumans in coverage, said, “local non-profit health care groups held numerous enrollment fairs and other outreach activities to ensure Yumans were aware of their options.    Information was explained in detail by members such as the Regional Center for Border Health, Inc., Yuma Regional Medical Center, and Sunset Community Health Center.” 

“Health insurers sent a message as well,” stated Ms. Stafford Jones. “Nationwide, twenty-five percent more of them offered coverage in the Marketplace compared to the last open enrollment period. In Arizona, that meant consumers could choose among 13 issuers (up from 10 in 2014) offering an average of 71 health plans in each county.” 

Nationwide, we achieved an historic reduction in the number of uninsured people – the largest of any period since the early 1970s. And Gallup recently announced that the uninsured rate in Arizona in 2014 was 17.5 percent in 2014, down from 20.4 percent in 2013. 

The Affordable Care Act is now an important part of the everyday lives of millions of Americans. They finally have the health and financial security that comes with affordable health coverage. That’s millions of people who won’t have to choose between seeing a doctor or filling a prescription and paying the utility bill. That’s millions who can rest a little easier knowing that an accident or illness won’t send them to bankruptcy or cost them their home. 

And it’s not just the people in the Marketplaces counting on it. The Affordable Care Act is working for the millions of young Americans who have the flexibility, early in their careers, to stay on their parents’ plans. It’s working for the people with pre-existing conditions that can no longer be locked out of health insurance.  

The impact of the Affordable Care Act is already well known.  A recent Commonwealth Fund study found that the percentage of adults who had problems paying medical bills or were paying off medical debt declined for the first time in nearly a decade. 

The Affordable Care Act is not just about a new way to buy insurance, said Stafford Jones; it’s about a health system that prioritizes access, affordability and quality for everyone.

Ms. Aguirre, who also serves as President of the Regional Center for Border Health, Inc., reported a number of success stories in Yuma involving formerly uninsured families and individuals who were able to access much-needed medical services, including life-saving care. 

For more information about this topic please contact Ms. Mariajose Almazan, Executive Assistant to the President and CEO of the Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. by calling (928) 627-9222 or by e-mail at mrincon@rcfbh.org.