Defying Dire Warnings And Expectations, Health Law Sign-Ups Nearly On Par With Last Year
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services say more than 8.8 million people have signed up in 39 states, which is a slight decrease from last year's 9.2 million. Heading into the enrollment season many experts anticipated a steeper dip because the Trump administration slashed the outreach budget and cut the sign-up period in half.
The New York Times:
Obamacare Sign-Ups At High Levels Despite Trump Saying It’s ‘Imploding’
The Trump administration said Thursday that 8.8 million people had signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s federal marketplace, a surprisingly large number only slightly lower than the total in the last open enrollment period, which was twice as long and heavily advertised. The numbers essentially defied President Trump’s assertion that “Obamacare is imploding.” (Pear, 12/21)
The Associated Press:
'Obamacare' Surprise: Strong Showing As Nearly 9M Sign Up
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said more than 8.8 million people have signed up in the 39 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website. That compares to 9.2 million last year in the same states — or 96 percent of the previous total. The level exceeds what experts thought was possible after another year of political battles over the Affordable Care Act, not to mention market problems like rising premiums and insurer exits. On top of that, the Trump administration cut enrollment season in half, slashed the ad budget, terminated major payments to insurers, and scaled back grants for consumer counselors. (12/21)
The Washington Post:
ACA Enrollment For 2018 Nearly Matches Last Year's, Despite Trump Administration Efforts To Undermine It
For the seventh and final sign-up week ending on Dec. 15, the report said, 4.1 million people had signed up for coverage or been automatically renewed by the government because they had ACA health plans this year and had not selected ones for 2018. However, federal health officials had previously said the automatic renewals would not take place until after the federal marketplace's enrollment deadline. Asked for a breakdown between the active sign-ups and the auto-enrollments, officials refused to provide it. (Goldstein, 12/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health-Law Insurance Sign-Ups Decline
Several major ACA insurers, including Centene Corp., Health Care Service Corp. and Medica, said their own sign-ups appeared on track to meet internal projections. “We’re almost exactly on our expectations,” said Steve Ringel, president of the Ohio market for CareSource, which sells ACA plans in four states. “It’s playing out exactly as we had hoped.” Of the 8.8 million consumers who were signed up for plans on HealthCare.gov during the federal exchange’s enrollment period, which started Nov. 1, about 2.4 million were new consumers, while 6.4 million were returning enrollees, including people automatically re-enrolled in plans. (Wilde Mathews, 12/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Obamacare Sign-Ups Surge, Despite Trump's Calls For Repeal
"It's incredible how many people signed up for coverage this year with record-setting demand for affordable health coverage," said Lori Lodes, a spokeswoman for Protect Our Care, a non-governmental advocacy group that stepped in to publicize the marketplaces when the Trump administration slashed outreach efforts. "The demand for affordable coverage speaks volumes — proving, yet again, the staying power of the marketplaces," Lodes said. (Levey, 12/21)