NY health exchange begins open enrollment

Saturday marked the second year that the New York State of Health Marketplace will accept open enrollment for low-cost health coverage. Approximately 960,000 New Yorkers signed up last year. This year,

News 12 Staff

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Nov 16, 2014, 3:03 AM

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Updated 3,540 days ago

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Saturday marked the second year that the New York State of Health Marketplace will accept open enrollment for low-cost health coverage.

Approximately 960,000 New Yorkers signed up last year. This year, officials are expecting to insure over a million people.

The marketplace officially opened Saturday. Officials say 16 insurance companies will offer plans for individuals and families.

The state has designated navigators to help applicants via phone or in person. Stacey Villagran, of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, leads a team of navigators who will be assisting Long Islanders with applications. She estimates 90 percent of people who had coverage last year will continue without changes. However, she says it's worth having coverage examined by an expert if an applicant's income has gone up or down.

Applicants should also be mindful that the prices of some qualified health plans have changed for 2015.

The Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council and its navigators were at Mather Hospital's health seminar Saturday at Suffolk Community College to help with applications. Villagran conducted a presentation to help people understand how New York's health care exchange works, while some of her colleagues assisted residents with the signup process.

Some are calling this year's open enrollment "Obamacare 2.0," a reboot of sorts that is designed to simplify the application process. It took Mark and Laura Janis of Holbrook under an hour to sign up on Saturday morning, which is much less time than they say it took them last year.

While last year's enrollment period lasted for six months, the enrollment period for this year will end on Feb. 15.