Nevada Appeal Capitol Bureau
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Nevada’s Silver State Health Insurance Exchange enrolled a total of 81,903 Nevadans for health coverage this year.
Open enrollment for health plans closed Jan. 15 after being extended an extra month.
That number is an increase of 4,493 over the 2019 enrollment.
Executive Director Heather Korbulic said the goal of the exchange is to connect uninsured Nevadans with plans appropriate for their needs and budgets. The exchange offers subsidies to qualified people through the Affordable Care Act to offset the cost of insurance. She said four out of five people who signed up qualified for some level of subsidies to help pay the premiums.
Nevada Health Link is the only place where people can receive a subsidy.
This was the second open enrollment for the state-based exchange at Nevada Health Link. Moving to a state managed system gave the exchange more autonomy. In addition, this plan year, Nevada Health Link was able to nearly double the number of plans offered last year, including 50 qualified health plans from five carriers.
The plans offered through the exchange are ideal for those who don’t have employee-sponsored health coverage, those who don’t qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.
She said open enrollment has ended but that certain life events such as losing health insurance, marriage or having a child can make an individual eligible for a special enrollment period during the year.
