Despite Brisk Pace Of ACA Sign-Ups, Final Numbers Will Likely Lag Due To Shorter Enrollment Period
About 3.6 million people have signed up through Dec. 2, but barring an unusually strong final surge, experts say it's unlikely that enrollment for 2018 will match the initial 12.2 million who signed up for this year's coverage because of a shorter enrollment period.
Reuters:
Sign-Ups Pick Up In Week Five Of 2018 Obamacare Open Enrollment: U.S.
The number of people signing up for 2018 Obamacare plans picked up significantly during the fifth week of open enrollment, a U.S. government agency reported on Wednesday, but the number of participants appears to be falling short of last year's numbers with just over a week of enrollment left. For the week ended Dec. 2, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said 823,180 people signed up for 2018 Obamacare individual insurance in the 39 states that use the federal government website Healthcare.gov. (Abutaleb, 12/6)
The Associated Press:
Health Law Sign-Ups Seen As Falling Short Though More Enroll
Americans are signing up in growing numbers for the Affordable Care Act's subsidized health insurance, the government said Wednesday. But with enrollment season cut in half and just over a week to go, experts say the final tally will likely fall short. About 3.6 million people signed up through Dec. 2 in states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That's about 20 percent higher than the comparable period last year. (12/6)
The Washington Post:
Enrollment In ACA Marketplaces Brisk Yet Lags Last Year’s Total As Deadline Nears
The 3.6 million figure is half of the total at the comparable point in the sign-up period for 2017 coverage, according to an analysis by the Washington-based consulting firm Avalere Health. To reach the 9.2 million enrollees that states relying on the federal marketplace had by the final deadline, a huge surge of people would need to take action by the time the season concludes on Dec. 15 or be automatically re-enrolled just afterward. (Goldstein, 12/6)
Politico:
Politico Survey: Insurers On Pace To Record Obamacare Profits For First Time
Insurers have finally figured out how to make money in the Obamacare markets: Charge more. After taking a beating for three years, health plans jacked up their rates for 2017, with the average premium on the most popular products rising more than 20 percent. That created sticker shock for many Obamacare customers while putting many insurers on pace to record profits this year for the first time, according to a POLITICO analysis of 31 regional Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, many of which dominate Obamacare markets in their states. (Demko, 12/7)