Obamacare enrollments have hit 9.5 million nationwide with less than three weeks to go before the sign up deadline, the Obama administration said Tuesday.
The number of people nationwide who have signed up for health insurance on the exchanges created by the 2010 Affordable Care Act falls within the target range set by administration officials, who said last fall they want to achieve at least 9 million total enrollees during year two of the law’s insurance marketplaces. But it’s still lower than the 12 million enrollees estimated by Congress’ official scorekeeper, the Congressional Budget Office.
Most live in the 37 states choosing to use the healthcare.gov website instead of creating their own, but 2.4 million are from the states with their own marketplaces, Health and Human Services said. In the states with federal-run exchanges, 42 percent are new enrollees, while the rest bought a plan last year and either signed up again or were automatically re-enrolled.
“We’re pleased that, nationwide, 9.5 million people are signed up for marketplace coverage,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell. “The vast majority are able to lower their costs even further by getting tax credits, making a difference in the lives of so many families.”
Like last year, the vast majority of enrollees have incomes low enough to qualify them for federal subsidies. In the states with federal-run exchanges, 87 percent of those buying a plan used financial assistance, HHS said. And about one-third of enrollees in those states were under 35 years old — a key demographic the administration and advocates are targeting for sign-ups.
Of the 13 states (plus the District of Columbia) running their own exchanges, California and Florida have had the highest plan selections so far. The data released Tuesday is through Jan. 18. Consumers have until Feb. 15 this year to choose a marketplace plan.
