GROWTH IS CONNECTOR'S MAIN FOCUS

Aim is affordable insurance

The Massachusetts Health Connector is doubling down on programs to get more Bay State residents on affordable insurance, even as Obamacare faces yet another test in Congress.

“We see our business as providing affordable access to health coverage with an aim to make that available for everyone,” said Louis Gutierrez, executive director of the Health Connector. “There’s nothing about that mission that has changed.”

Yesterday, Gutierrez announced a new program meant for companies with fewer than 10 employees. The initiative is designed to offer choices to employees of small companies while giving business owners consistent costs.

This comes as Senate Republicans have set their sights on the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate — which requires people to have health insurance — as a way to pass their tax reform package. Experts said that would not have a significant impact on Massachusetts, which has its own individual mandate, but still cautioned it could raise premiums nationally.

“To abolish that nationally will create a lot of issues,” said Lora Pellegrini, chief executive of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans. “What you’ll have is higher health care costs, higher premiums.”

Last week, the Congressional Budget Office said repealing the mandate would save $338 billion, but would increase premiums by about 10 percent. The CBO also said 13 million fewer people would have insurance, at least some of whom would not be able to afford it.

Gutierrez said enrollment is up about 30 percent compared to this time last year, but said it is too early to say why. About 20,000 people have either picked a plan or enrolled this year, said Connector spokesman Jason Lefferts. Enrollment in insurance exchanges nationwide has outpaced last year’s numbers, according to government data. Nearly 1.5 million people have signed up for plans since open enrollment began two weeks ago, more than 45 percent more than a year ago.

It is unclear what is behind the surge in enrollments. The period when people can enroll is significantly shorter this year than in previous years, while Obamacare has surged in popularity since the beginning of the year.

The Trump administration has slashed the budget for Obamacare enrollment campaigns, but Gutierrez said the state is pushing its own efforts.

“We have a full-throttle outreach campaign for our open enrollment,” he said. “Nothing has changed with regard to Massachusetts outreach.”