Washington Healthplanfinder today announced 35,000 residents have enrolled in health coverage since Oct. 1. An additional 56,000 residents have completed online applications that are awaiting payment due in December.

“It’s clear that residents here in Washington are very interested in this new opportunity and the health insurance options that are available,” said Richard Onizuka. “We are continuing to reach out to individuals through a statewide advertising campaign, our community partners and insurance brokers and most recently our mobile enrollment tour, which kicked off last week.”

The Customer Support Center has continued to see higher than expected call volumes due to strong consumer interest. Residents may also find in-person help via the Customer Support Link on www.wahealthplanfinder.org or receive a call back from the Customer Support Center when a representative is available.

“We’re pleased by the strong response of Medicaid-eligible residents, with more than 30,000 new enrollments over the first 20 days of October,” said Dorothy Teeter, Director of the Health Care Authority. “About two-thirds of them are qualifying under the Medicaid expansion to new adults, which goes into effect on Jan. 1 of 2014.”

Updated numbers since the Oct. 1 launch include:

Note: Applications completed includes individuals who have completed applications but have not yet submitted payment. Payment is due on Dec. 23, 2013 for coverage that begins onJan. 1, 2014.

*Qualified Health Plan/Medicaid Mixed indicates applications in which at least one individual on the application is purchasing a Qualified Health Plan while others may be eligible for Medicaid.

**This number references the total number of individual applicants included on all applications.

“While we are pleased with our enrollment numbers, we are still ironing out some kinks and bugs in our system,” said Onizuka. “Our staff is continuing to adjust our marketplace to better meet the needs of our customers, as well as resource additional staff members to decrease our Customer Support Center wait times.

For users who are unable to complete an application online at wahealthplanfinder.org, please visit the Washington Healthplanfinder “Quick Tips” page on the Washington Healthplanfinder Status Center.  If children, pregnant women and family Medicaid applicants are unable to complete an application online, they can access a paper application through the Health Care Authority website.

For more information about Washington Healthplanfinder and to enroll in health coverage, please visit www.wahealthplanfinder.org.