About 950,000 Americans signed up for health plans through HealthCare.gov between the end of open enrollment in late February and the end of June.
People are allowed to get marketplace coverage outside of the open enrollment periods under certain circumstances, such as changes in family status or losing other health insurance.
The numbers reflect signups in the 37 states with marketplaces that are run by or in partnership with the federal government or rely on HealthCare.gov for enrollment. The numbers do not capture whether the consumers activated the coverage by paying the first premium.
HHS said in June that 11.7 million Americans selected exchange plans during the enrollment period that ended in February. Ultimately, 10.2 million consumers “effectuated” that coverage.
“Life changes are often impossible to predict, but access to affordable and quality healthcare coverage should never be,” said Kevin Counihan, CEO of the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Of the 943,934 special enrollees, half qualified because they lost other coverage and 19% because were able to sign up because they were denied Medicaid or CHIP. Fifteen percent enrolled during a special enrollment window extended to tax filers who discovered as they prepared their returns that they would be subject to a penalty for failing to get coverage.
The largest number of the new enrollees are in Florida (160,828). Texas came next, with 131,757.
The next open enrollment period for marketplace plans begins Nov. 1 for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2016.
