State by State Enrollment in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, as of April 30, 2011

* For latest update click here

The Affordable Care Act created the new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) program to make health insurance available to Americans denied coverage by private insurance companies because of a pre-existing condition. Coverage for people living with such conditions as diabetes, asthma, cancer, and HIV/AIDS has often been priced out of the reach of most Americans who buy their own insurance, and this has resulted in a lack of coverage for millions.

The PCIP program is administered by either the state or the federal government:  23 states and the District of Columbia elected to have their PCIP program administered by the federal government while 27 states have chosen to run their own programs. 

The PCIP program began accepting applications for enrollment July, 2010 (July 1, 2010 for the federal program, dates for State programs varied).  The chart below details the date when each state began providing benefits to people accepted into the program and the number of people enrolled in the program by each state as of April 30, 2011

* Massachusetts and Vermont (Federally administered PCIP) are guarantee issue states that have already implemented many of the broader market reforms included in the Affordable Care Act that take effect in 2014.  Existing commercial plans offering guaranteed coverage at premiums comparable to PCIP are already available in both states

** Enrollment through March 31, 2011 was reported as 51. However, due to a reporting error the number of individuals enrolled in Connecticut was 34 as of the end of March.

*** Federally administered PCIP

• March 31, 2011 enrollment data available here  
• February 1, 2011 enrollment data available here
• November 1, 2010 enrollment data available here

Posted on: February 23, 2012