Maine health insurance signups skyrocket, participants skew older

The number of Mainers signing up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act skyrocketed last month, and most are middle-aged or older, according to new federal figures released Monday that for the first time include demographic data key to the law's insurance overhaul.

Since the launch of healthcare.gov on Oct. 1, 2013 through Dec. 28, 2013, 13,704 Maine residents selected a health plan through the federal government's gateway for the marketplaces in Maine and 35 other states, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That's an eightfold increase compared to the month of November.

Enrollment also shot up nationally, with nearly 2.2 million people choosing plans through both healthcare.gov and state-run health insurance marketplaces. December alone accounted for nearly 1.8 million enrollees.

Also called 'exchanges,' the marketplaces are geared toward small businesses and individuals who buy their own health insurance rather than receive coverage through work or government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. In Maine, about 65,000 to 104,000 people are estimated to be eligible to shop on the marketplaces.

In a press release announcing the figures, HHS touted an eightfold increase in the number of young adults ages 18 to 34 signing up for coverage. The Affordable Care Act's overhaul of the insurance market for those who buy their own coverage relies on young, healthy Americans signing up to help share the risk with older, sicker consumers and keep costs from skyrocketing.

Americans age 18 to 34 accounted for 24 percent of those who have selected health plans so far.

In Maine, the oldest state in the country, the proportion was lower, with 18 percent of enrollees under age 35. Only two states, Arizona and West Virginia, posted lower showings at 17 percent. Maine tied with New Mexico and Arkansas. (Data was not available for three states).

More than 60 percent of those who had signed up for coverage in Maine were between the ages of 45 and 64.

Americans still have time to sign up for health insurance through the marketplaces, with open enrollment extending through March 31.