The Obama administration Tuesday announced that 6.4 million people had signed up or were automatically re-enrolled in health plans through federal exchanges, a smoother launch to open enrollment for 2015 than the disastrous rollout of the president’s signature domestic initiative.
“We still have a lot of work to do before the Feb. 15 enrollment deadline, but this is an encouraging start. People shopped for coverage and signed up – finding more choices and greater competition,” Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, so far nearly 6.4 million consumers, including about 1.9 million new consumers, have access to quality, affordable health coverage for 2015 through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace. This law is working, and families are better off as a result.”
In advance of the second round of Obamacare, the White House spent months scrambling to ensure it was more prepared for healthcare sign-ups. Last year, healthcare.gov became an embarrassment for President Obama and sullied perceptions of Obamacare at a time when he desperately needed to rally public support for the law.
The majority of the 6.4 million sign ups this year were automatic re-enrollments. Those individuals, however, could be surprised by rate increases in 2015, having passed on the chance to shop for a cheaper plan.
Critics of Obamacare say the White House has glossed over rate increases, leaving many consumers unaware of the spike in healthcare costs.
However, the early enrollment figures are undoubtedly good news for Team Obama.
The Obama administration has been on the defensive in recent weeks for 2014 enrollment figures after it was revealed they padded the figures by including roughly 400,000 dental plans in the final count. The administration said the overall enrollment total for 2014 was closer to 6.7 million.
