This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Nearly 145,000 Utahns have signed up for 2017 health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's online exchange — 24 percent more than last year.
And that means Utah had the biggest increase in individual enrollment compared to last year, said Sylvia Burwell, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, during a conference call Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the department announced that 144,848 Utahns had signed up for insurance on healthcare.gov as of Monday, compared with 116,421 for the same time period last year, according to department data.
These are all new enrollees, whose marketplace coverage will begin Jan. 1. The number of people who automatically re-enrolled will be released in January.
"We don't know exactly what to attribute [Utah's growth] to ... hopefully it's happening because people are getting the information they need," Burwell said.
But she added that one reason could be that 76 percent of Utahns who buy coverage through the ACA could get a plan that costs less than $75 per month next year.
But Jason Stevenson, education and communications director for the Utah Health Policy Project, also thinks the November election has something to do with it.
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to repeal and replace the act, also known as Obamacare, which created online insurance marketplaces that allow consumers to find the best plan to fit their needs by comparing prices and networks. They also can qualify for federal tax credits that help reduce the overall cost of coverage.
Stevenson said people coming into the project's West Valley City office constantly say they are worried about the future, but want to make sure they have health care for their family next year.
"A lot of stuff [related to the election] is outside their control," Stevenson said, but signing up for insurance "is something they can actually do."
Health care experts have stressed that any changes Trump's administration makes to the law will not impact those who sign up for 2017 insurance through the exchange.
Stevenson said Utah's high enrollment numbers also might be attributed to the expansion of two carriers into new counties: Molina into Box Elder County and University of Utah Health Plans into Cache, Duchesne, Grand, Iron, Rich, Uinta and Washington counties.
But enrollment across the country increased as well: 6.4 million Americans — 400,000 more than this time last year — signed up for insurance on healthcare.gov during that same time period.
"Americans are once again proving that marketplace coverage is vital to them and their families," Burwell said.
So many people were signing up for insurance that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week extended the deadline to sign up for insurance that begins Jan. 1, moving from Dec. 15 to Monday.
Many people were waiting in line to use the services, they said, and the additional days would allow them time to sign up.
"Dec. 15, the original deadline for Jan. 1 coverage, was the biggest day of any open enrollment [period] ever," according to a department news release.
Burwell stressed Wednesday that it's not too late for people to sign up: Utahns have until Jan. 31 to sign up for coverage that would begin Feb. 1.
For free assistance, Utahns can contact an insurance agent at utahinsurancedepartment.com, or talk to a Take Care Utah expert at takecareutah.org or by calling 211.
Twitter @alexdstuckey