Analysis: About 7M U.S. Residents Can Enroll in ACA Plans Early
Nearly seven million people are eligible to enroll in health plans through the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges before the next open enrollment period begins on Nov. 15, according to an analysis by Enroll America, The Hill reports.
Enroll America analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau from 2010 to 2012 and discovered that close to 2.7 million uninsured individuals and four million U.S. residents who are likely to lose their coverage can enroll early because of a qualifying life event.
Qualifying life events include moving, getting married, having children, losing previous coverage or becoming a U.S. citizen (Al-Faruque, The Hill, 8/20).
The analysis also found that:
- About 6.5% of uninsured U.S. residents are likely to experience one or more qualifying events; and
- Moving is the most common qualifying event, with an estimated 1.8 million uninsured U.S. residents expected to move to a new county between open enrollment periods (Enroll America analysis, 8/18).
Reaction
"Even though millions of Americans got covered before open enrollment closed earlier this year, we're not resting on our laurels since seven million consumers might have the opportunity to get covered even now through a special enrollment period," Enroll America President Anne Filipic said (The Hill, 8/20).
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