Preliminary data provided by the White House shows that approximately 476,000 applications for health insurance have been filed through the Affordable Care Act’s federally run and state-operated health insurance exchanges since open enrollment began on Oct. 1.
Of all applications, about half have been completed on the federal exchange (HealthCare.gov) and the other half have come from the 14 states and the District of Columbia that are operating their own marketplaces.
However, the application process is just the first step toward obtaining coverage and the consumers have to complete at least two more steps before they can purchase coverage. In the second step, the federal government will check applicants’ eligibility for Medicaid or subsidies to help purchase coverage through the exchange. In the third step, the consumers must choose a plan from a number of different options.
AASM members can learn more about the provisions in the ACA, State Exchanges and our advocacy efforts to ensure sleep services are included in State Exchange plans in the Affordable Care Act Resources section of the AASM website.
