‘Obamacare’ Sign-Ups 45 Percent Ahead of Last Year’s Pace
Numbers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services come as GOP senators push to pay for tax cuts by repealing the Affordable Care Act's individual requirement for health care coverage.WASHINGTON — Sign-ups for Affordable Care Act health plans are running more than 45 percent ahead of last year’s pace, according to government data released Wednesday.
The numbers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services come as Republican senators are pushing to pay for tax cuts by repealing the “Obamacare” requirement to carry coverage.
The new figures show that nearly 1.5 million consumers picked a plan through Nov. 11, compared to just over 1 million from Nov. 1-12 last year, a period that had included one additional day for consumers to enroll.
The latest data cover 39 states served by the HealthCare.gov website. The overall number of sign-ups is higher because states running their own health insurance markets are not counted in the HealthCare.gov data.
The share of new customers for 2018 coverage stayed at about 23 percent, the report said.
The Obama-era health law offers subsidized private insurance for people who don’t get coverage on the job. Sign-ups this year are being closely watched because of efforts by the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress to do away with the law.
At same time, consumers who are eligible for financial assistance are seeing more low-cost plans available. Even though premiums have gone up, that’s been offset by increased subsidies.
If Congress repeals the requirement that people buy health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that 13 million more people would be uninsured by 2027.
This year’s sign-up season is only half as long as last year’s. It ends Dec. 15.
Your support matters…Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Health & Wellness
While 40,000 Dreamers are likely to gain coverage, nearly half a million undocumented immigrants still cannot afford health insurance.
Health & Wellness
Eighteen million Americans could soon lose access to Medicaid.
The people of Mumbra fear that the government is threatening their independence and their identity.
Its decision on an appeal of a lower-court ruling declaring part of the statute unconstitutional is unlikely to come before the election.
Despite campaign promises to replace the Affordable Care Act with something better, the uninsured rate has risen on the president's watch.
The program's complexity was always a problem, and many low-income people still don't understand they can get financial help with premiums.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.