Health insurance exchange enrollment strong ahead of deadline

Enrollment through the state's health insurance exchange was robust ahead of a key deadline.

More than 72,600 Nevadans signed up for a Nevada Health Link plan between Nov. 1 and Saturday, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

That's more than double the 35,000 enrollees who had selected a plan by this time in 2014, though last year's sign-up session didn't begin until Nov. 15.

Consumers had to have a plan in place by Dec. 17 to qualify for coverage that would begin on Jan. 1, but they have until Jan. 31 to buy insurance and avoid a federal tax for lacking coverage. The tax in 2016 will equal 2.5 percent of household income, or $695 per adult and $347.50 per child up to a household maximum of $2,085 — whichever is higher.

Nationally, more than 8.2 million people had enrolled in exchange-based plans as of Saturday.

Consumers must sign up through a state or federal health insurance exchange to qualify for the premium tax credit available through the Affordable Care Act.

Nearly 70 percent of Nevada's exchange enrollees can find plans for $75 a month or less after tax credits, representatives of Health and Human Services said.

"With such strong interest and enrollment numbers, we remain optimistic the number of enrollees will continue to climb as we near the end of the enrollment period," said Bruce Gilbert, executive director of Nevada Health Link. "We want to remind consumers there are many resources available to them and many ways to enroll — online, over the phone or at a licensed broker office near them."

Contact Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com. Find @_JRobison on Twitter.