When Washington’s Open Enrollment ended last Monday, a record number of people had selected health plans via HealthPlanFinder – over 242,000. Washington’s experience was better than expected. The federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, did not enroll as many people for 2018 coverage as prior years, likely due to political uncertainty and reductions to outreach and enrollment support. We await information about how many Washington enrollees paid their premiums; in 2017, 91% of people who selected health plans paid for coverage.

The individual mandate has been eliminated beginning in 2019. Until then, people must continue to report health insurance coverage on their taxes. There are three different 1095 tax forms – consumers should receive one depending on their type of coverage.