Survey: Marketplace assisters help 5.9 million during 2015 open enrollment

More than 4,600 programs offering Navigators, Certified Application Counselors and other assisters helped an estimated 5.9 million consumers during open enrollment in the 2015 Health Insurance Marketplace, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Most consumers who sought help were uninsured and had limited understanding of health insurance, respondents said. About two-thirds of programs said it took between one and two hours, on average, to help each consumer applying to the Marketplace for the first time. Six in ten 2015 assister programs were CACs, 25% Federally Qualified Health Centers and 14% Navigators.