Thousands get insurance from NY marketplace

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ALBANY — With health insurance through New York’s marketplace scheduled to start next year, thousands of policyholders have to change coverage while even more uninsured are signing up for new policies.

Facing a late influx of applications, the exchange pushed back enrollment deadlines twice, most recently to midnight Tuesday for policies effective Jan. 1. Unlike the troubled federal marketplace operating in 36 states, New York established its own, which has had some but fewer software problems.

Meanwhile, about 100,000 New Yorkers are losing policies deemed noncompliant with the federal law that’s driving the effort, including sole business proprietors insured through their professional associations or chambers of commerce.

By Monday, the state exchange reported 421,949 New Yorkers completed applications for individual or family coverage while 188,546 of them have enrolled for insurance. They included 136,783 signed up with the 16 nonprofit and commercial insurers in the marketplace, also called an exchange, and 51,763 in government-funded Medicaid, according to the state Health Department, which runs the exchange.

“We are seeing tremendous activity, and in the last week alone enrollments have increased by about 34 percent,” said Donna Frescatore, exchange executive director.