CMS Data Show Federal Exchange Sign-Ups Reach 8.7M

About 8.7 million U.S. residents have signed up for health coverage through the federal exchange since the start of the Affordable Care Act's third open enrollment period, according to CMS data released Thursday, the Washington Times reports (Howell, Washington Times, 1/13).

Background

The ACA's third open enrollment period launched Nov. 1, 2015. It is scheduled to end on Jan. 31 (California Healthline, 1/8). Friday is the last day U.S. residents can sign up for federal exchange plans that will take effect Feb. 1 (CMS release, 1/13).

The Obama administration has estimated that about 10 million U.S. residents will be enrolled in health coverage purchased through the ACA's exchanges by the end of 2016 (California Healthline, 1/8).

Enrollment Details

The data account for sign-ups through the 10th week of the enrollment period, which ended Jan. 9. The data do not include the number of U.S. residents who paid their first month's premiums, effectively completing the enrollment process (CMS release, 1/13).

According to the data, about 74,000 individuals in the 38 states that use the federal exchange for enrollment selected health plans between Jan. 3 and Jan. 9 (Washington Times, 1/13). Florida and Texas have had the highest number of sign-ups through Jan. 9, with 1,583,088 and 1,120,440, respectively.

Further, the data for the first time included information on plan selections by "Designated Market Areas" (CMS release, 1/13).

Administration officials are focusing sign-up efforts on five specific areas with high uninsured rates:

• Chicago;
• Dallas;
• Houston;
• Miami; and
• Northern New Jersey (California Healthline, 11/13/15).

The data show that between Nov. 1, 2015, and Jan. 9:

• 588,183 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale residents had selected federal exchange plans;
• 333,105 Dallas-Ft. Worth residents had selected federal exchange plans;
• 298,346 Houston residents had selected health plans through the federal exchange; and
• 278,687 Chicago residents had selected federal exchange plans.

The data did not include figures for HHS' New Jersey-based focus area (CMS data, 1/13).

HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said the agency continues to see "steady progress" in "signing up new customers as open enrollment proceeds" (Washington Times, 1/13).