North Carolina health insurance enrollment is on the rise, thanks in large part to Obamacare’s Individual Mandate. The Individual Mandate essentially requires most U.S. citizens to carry health insurance, with certain exceptions granted to those facing financial hardships.
Those who are not exempt from the Individual Mandate and who do not maintain health insurance coverage are subject to a tax penalty. The amount of the penalty is based on household income and size, and will be either a flat rate or a percentage of the annual household income that falls above the tax filing threshold.
To avoid having to pay the Obamacare tax penalty, many previously uninsured North Carolinians have enrolled in health insurance.
NC Health Insurance Enrollment Statistics:
Under Obamacare, states were allowed to either establish their own Health Insurance Marketplace, co-partner with the government to run their Marketplace, or opt to leave the establishment of their Marketplace entirely up to the government. North Carolina chose to have a federally-run Health Insurance Marketplace. As a result, all North Carolinians that wish to enroll in subsidy-eligible health insurance plans under Obamacare must do so through the Healthcare.gov website.
The following tables represent NC health insurance enrollment statistics for plans offered through the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace (Healthcare.gov) only, and are not reflective of individuals enrolled in employer-sponsored plans or individuals who purchased private insurance outside of the Marketplace.
2016 North Carolina Health Insurance Enrollment Statistics
Marketplace Enrollment Totals*:
| Number of Individuals Eligible to Enroll in the Marketplace |
Number of Individuals That Qualified for Premium Subsidies |
Number of Individuals That Selected a Marketplace Plan |
Percentage of Eligible Individuals That Selected a Marketplace Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 616,553 | 513,430 | 553,729 | > 89% |
Marketplace Enrollment by Income* (Federal Poverty Level):
| Number of Enrollees for which Household Income is Known |
Percent of Incomes <100% of FPL |
Percent of Incomes ≥100% – ≤200% of FPL |
Percent of Incomes >200% – ≤300% of FPL |
Percent of Incomes >300% – ≤400% of FPL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 523,707 | 3% | 63% | 24% | 9% |
Marketplace Enrollment by Age*:
| Number of Enrollees for which the Person’s Age is Known |
Enrollees <18 Years Old |
Enrollees 18 – 44 Years Old |
Enrollees 45-64 Years Old |
Enrollees >65 Years Old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 553,729 | 10% | 44% | 46% | 1% |
(*Note: The Annual Open Enrollment Period for 2016 health insurance coverage ran from November 1, 2015 through January 31, 2016. The figures above only reflect enrollments from November 1, 2015 – December 26, 2015. Enrollment figures for December 27, 2015 through January 31, 2016 were not available as of the date of this publication.
Source: All statistics were obtained from The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation website. )
In 2015, the average monthly health insurance subsidy received by eligible North Carolinians through Obamacare enrollment was $315. If you require assistance applying for 2016 health insurance subsidies, or enrolling in an NC Health Insurance Plan under Obamacare, WNC Health Insurance is here to lend a helping hand!
Simply stop by one of our partner locations, or give our personal reform advisors a call at: 855-395-5552