Covered California Sign-Ups Dip Slightly, But Officials Cheered By Number Of New Customers
Overall, experts are surprised at how "remarkably stable" the marketplaces are across the country after such a tumultuous year.
Los Angeles Times:
Despite Trump Attacks, Obamacare Sign-Ups Hold Steady, New Numbers Show
Almost 12 million Americans signed up for 2018 health coverage through marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act, according to a new tally that indicates nationwide enrollment remained virtually unchanged from last year despite President Trump's persistent attacks on the 2010 health law. The new enrollment numbers — which include totals from California and other states that operate their own marketplaces, as well as states that rely on the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace — offer the most detailed picture to date of the insurance markets. (Levey, 2/7)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Covered CA Sees First Enrollment Decline Despite Influx Of New Enrollees
Enrollment in health plans sold by Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange, dropped 2.2 percent this year even though the nonprofit managed to attract 432,484 new customers, a 3 percent increase over last year. Peter Lee, the exchange’s executive director, said in a Wednesday morning news conference that enrollment decreased from 1.55 million in 2017 to 1.52 million in 2018. He said the decrease, the first since Covered California started operating in 2013, was caused in large part to elimination of a key type of government reimbursement program for insurers, which forced the exchange to recommend that higher-income policyholders re-enroll off exchange. (Sisson, 2/7)
Capital Public Radio:
Covered California Sees Slight Drop In Renewals
"There could be a number of different reasons for that," says James Scullary with Covered California. "Certainly we're seeing a strong economy here in California. More people may have job-based coverage as an option and not have a need for Covered California because they're getting health care coverage through their employer." Scullary says another reason may be because some people who make too much money to qualify for subsidies could get better deals elsewhere. (Milne, 2/7)
The Washington Post:
ACA’s State-Run Insurance Exchanges Fare Better Than The Law’s Federal Marketplace
States that run their own Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces significantly outperformed the rest of the country in attracting consumers to sign up for health plans for 2018, according to enrollment tallies released on Wednesday. Overall enrollment stayed essentially level from the year before in the 11 states plus the District of Columbia with state-based marketplaces, while sign-ups in states that rely on the ACA’s federal exchange fell, on average, by more than 5 percent. Five states with hybrid systems did best of all, according to a report compiled by the National Academy for State Health Policy. (Goldstein, 2/7)
The Associated Press:
AP Count: Nearly 11.8M Enroll For Obama Health Law In 2018
Call it the political equivalent of a death-defying escape: former President Barack Obama's health care law pulled in nearly 11.8 million customers for 2018, despite the Republican campaign to erase it from the books. An Associated Press count found that nationwide enrollment was about 3 percent lower than last year. California, with more than 1.5 million sign-ups, was the last state to report, announcing its numbers on Wednesday. (2/7)
The Hill:
ObamaCare Enrollment Drops 3.7 Percent For 2018, Health Group Says
ObamaCare saw a 3.7 percent drop in enrollment in 2018 compared to the year before, according to new numbers released Wednesday from a health-care group that says the relatively minor decline demonstrates “remarkable stability.” The national total of consumers who selected ObamaCare plans during this year’s open enrollment period was 11.8 million, compared to 12.2 million who signed up for plans in 2017. (Hellmann, 2/7)