Final 2018 open enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act are out this week, and 230,000 Ohioans have signed up, a decrease of about 4 percent from last year.
Ohio ranks 13 th of 39 states in the number of new consumers and re-enrollments. The majority of sign-ups came from people between the ages of 55 and 64.
Cuyahoga County had more than 23,000 signups, slightly lower than the 27,000 in Franklin County. Statewide, more people re-enrolling switched their plans rather than stay with the same one.
Meanwhile, the number of companies selling insurance on the health exchange in Ohio has dropped. In 2016, 17 companies sold health insurance here. This year, that number is eight.
Most northeast Ohio counties continue to have between 3 and 5 insurers to choose from, but customers in the central and south parts of the state mostly have one.