Enrollment at the Massachusetts Health Connector is at a record high, with more than 348,000 people accessing coverage through the state's health insurance marketplace, officials said Monday ahead of a key deadline.

Open enrollment at the Connector closes on Jan. 23 for Bay Staters seeking health and dental insurance coverage that starts Feb. 1 or March 1. Officials said nearly 30,000 people have enrolled in new coverage, and that about 85% of all members are covered through heavily subsidized ConnectorCare programs.

"We lead the nation in health coverage, with more than 98 percent of our residents in coverage, but we want everyone else to have insurance coverage, too," Connector Executive Director Audrey Morse Gasteier said at a press conference on the Grand Staircase, where she was joined by more than two dozen "navigators" who help Bay Staters understand their coverage options and enroll in insurance plans offered through the Connector.

"We encourage anyone who needs health insurance coverage to sign up and do it now," she added. "Don't wait until the very, very last minute."

New Reps. Tara Hong of Lowell and Sean Reid of Lynn joined the Connector's public awareness push for the last 10 days of open enrollment, with Reps. Mike Connolly of Cambridge and Priscila Sousa of Framingham.

Massachusetts residents are required to have health insurance, or face a tax penalty if they don't enroll in coverage.

Highlighting the helps that's available to new members and Bay Staters looking to update their coverage, Morse Gasteier noted the Connector has more than 140 navigators in 50 locations across Massachusetts, and they collectively speak 30 languages. The Lynn Community Health Center helped 3,500 individuals access coverage through the Connector in 2024, said enrollment manager and lead navigator Suheli Rivera.

A two-year pilor program with 2025 marking the second year of the initiative —expanded ConnectorCare income eligibility from 300 percent of the federal poverty level to 500 percent. Individuals earning up to $75,300 and families of four earning up to $156,000 this year can enroll in the expanded ConnectorCare plans.

The pilot features lower-premium and no-deductible policies, plus no-cost prescriptions for chronic diseases including diabetes and hypertension. More than 58,000 people have gained access to "more affordable health care than they did before due to the benefits of ConnectorCare," Morse Gasteier said.

Connolly praised the pilot, saying the "expansion is really working."

"I want to keep that going, and I want to continue that work. And I'm grateful to my colleagues in the Legislature who have put that forward," Connolly said.

The pilot program's fate will be among the decisions that Gov. Maura Healey and the Legislature will make during the approaching budget cycle where spending blueprints will lean on a 2.2% increase in tax revenue.

Once the Jan. 23 open enrollment deadline passes, Bay Staters can still seek coverage through the Connector under certain "qualifying" events, Morse Gasteier said. That includes losing insurance coverage from a job, having a baby and getting married.

"Also importantly, newly qualifying for ConnectorCare qualifies you for what's called a special enrollment period -- the ability to enroll outside of the open enrollment period," Morse Gasteier said. "Newly qualifying for that, because there's been a change in your household income or some other factor, will allow you to enroll throughout the rest of the year, outside of open enrollment."