Insurers question the 8 million sign-up figure

Health insurance carriers that had plans on the federal and state marketplaces have come forward to say most of their enrollees have paid their first premiums, but that there may be duplicate signups in their systems.

According to The New York Times, some large insurers are saying approximately 80 percent of those who enrolled in plans through the exchanges have paid their first premiums, effectively completing their enrollment. The Washington Times reported payment for coverage effective in January through April is between 83 to 88 percent, while payment for coverage effective in May has hit around the 68 percent mark. However, many are worried some of the plans won’t be activated by a premium, as insurers may have many enrollments by a single person in their systems.

Mark Pratt, a senior vice president at industry trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans, said it may take a while for insurers to work through who actually signed up for coverage, who completed their enrollment through paying their first premiums and who had duplicate signups.

“It may be a matter of months before insurers know how many people activated their coverage by paying their share of premiums,” Pratt said, according to The New York Times.