KY healthcare enrollees increase, yet report policy issues

Heath insurance enrollee numbers exceeded more than 116,000 in Kentucky, a state that has received national recognition for its success as a state-run online marketplace, according to he Lexington Herald-Leader. After the Obama administration pushed the Dec. 23 enrollment deadline back to midnight Dec. 24, more than 6,000 applications poured into the state's online exchange system, said Gov. Steve Beshear in a statement. 

Despite the deadline's passing for Jan. 1 coverage, approximately 5,630 more residents have signed up in the days since Dec. 24. 

Yet many have not received their insurance cards, or proof they're covered by a policy, to take to their physicians and other appointments that require proof of insurance by Jan. 1, Gazette reported. 

"Don't worry," Beshear said. "Insurers are processing a high volume of new enrollments."

However, as insurers work to determine who has applied for coverage by the deadline, many enrollees have yet to pay to enact their policies, according to New Max. The final step for consumers who signed up for coverage by midnight Dec. 24 is to pay their first premium by Dec. 31, yet many insurers have not seen payments. 

"There's definitely going to be a period of confusion, until people do pay their premiums and their coverage is turned on," said Mark Waterstraat, chief strategy officer of Benaissance, a third-party billing firm who took data from 100 insurers in 17 states across the country.