People are signing up for Obamacare at a higher pace than last year, with more than 11.5 million individuals applying for coverage.
The enrollment update comes as the Senate continues to debate passage of a budget resolution this week that starts the Obamacare repeal process, which Obama administration officials say could be motivating more individuals to sign up.
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As of Dec. 24, more than 11.5 million people signed up for 2017 coverage through every marketplace. That is an increase of 286,000 people compared to last year’s open enrollment, according to data from the Obama administration.
The report includes data from healthcare.gov, which is used by 38 states and the District of Columbia to sign up for Obamacare, and the 12 states that operate their own exchanges.
The administration said the totals include 8.9 million returning customers and 2.6 million new customers.
It added that 81 percent of the signups (9.3 million) would receive an advanced premium tax credits.
However, it appears that the administration’s outreach to millennials to sign up for Obamacare hasn’t produced gains.
About 26 percent of the enrollees are ages 18 to 34, about the same percentage as last year.
The administration told Obamacare insurers that it would make new outreach efforts to millennials to get healthier people to sign up. It even held a competitive gaming event on the popular streaming site Twitch.
The surge in signups comes as the GOP-controlled Congress moves closer to Obamacare repeal. The Senate aims to pass a nonbinding budget resolution this week that will direct committees to create repeal legislation by Jan. 27.
The goal is to use the procedural move reconciliation to get repeal passed via a simple majority vote and bypass a filibuster. Reconciliation must only apply to bills that focus on spending and budgetary levels, hence the need for a budget resolution.
Administration officials said that the talk of repeal has had an impact on feedback from customers.
“More than 35,000 people have contacted our call centers asking about whether they should sign up,” said Christen Link Young, principal deputy director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in a call with reporters.
The administration also pushed back against attacks from Republicans who say the marketplaces are already in a death spiral, a term to describe an insurance market that is collapsing. Republicans are under fire from Democrats who charge that repealing the law without a replacement immediately ready and could wreak havoc on insurance markets.
“A death spiral is defined as a marketplace that is shrinking,” said Aviva Aron-Dine, senior counselor to the Health and Human Services secretary. “In contrast, today’s data shows that this market is not merely stable but is on track for growth.”
