Open enrollment on the state's online health insurance marketplace isn't just an opportunity for those still uninsured.

Jim Wadleigh, acting chief executive officer of Access Health CT, said in an interview Wednesday that the open enrollment period that begins Saturday is also a time for those already insured through the marketplace to reassess their plans for the coming year.

"We're trying to make sure everyone understands there's a really important thing coming up with open enrollment," he said. "This is a significant time for people to shop and revalidate what they've already selected for plans."

During the open enrollment period, which will run through Feb. 15, Access Health CT is hoping to add about 33,000 households to the ranks of those covered by health insurance in the state, cutting the state's uninsured rate to about 2 percent. Those without insurance face federal penalties of $95 or 1 percent of income that will be imposed for the first time with the April tax filings.

Last year, the first year for Access Health CT - the state's response to the federal Affordable Care Act - about 280,000 households signed up for insurance through the website, cutting the state's uninsured rate from 8 percent to about 4 percent. About 105,000 of those qualified for Medicaid, while the remainder signed up for plans offered by three private insurers: Anthem, ConnectiCare and HealthyCT. Of the 75,000 with private insurance, just under 50,000 households qualified for federal subsidies to offset the costs of the coverage.

Wadleigh said a fourth carrier, United Healthcare, is being added for 2015, and that rates and different plans offered by the various companies have changed, so even those who signed up last year for automatic renewal should check and make sure they're still getting the plan that makes the most sense for them.

"If they don't, they may be passing up a chance to shop for a better plan," he said. "A large number of customers last year purchased plans purely on price, but once they started using their plans, they had to pay a lot of out-of-pocket costs. It may be more cost effective for them to go with a (different) plan and pay less for their co-pays."

Those currently insured through Access Health CT plans may also need to verify there have been no significant changes in their circumstances during the past year, including change in income or eligibility for Medicare, Wadleigh said.

"There are also a number of heads of households who passed away," he said. "Those families cannot just auto renew" but must re-enroll with a new head of household.

The remaining uninsured, he said, reside mainly in 10 cities: Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, West Haven, Hamden, East Hartford, Meriden, Norwich-Windham and New London. Outreach efforts will be targeted in these communities, he said.

j.benson@theday.com

Twitter: @BensonJudy

For information about the state's insurance marketplace, visit: www.accesshealthct.org.

For help creating an Access Health CT account or finding assistance or a broker, call (855) 805-4325.