Obamacare signed up 4.9 million new enrollees during the open enrollment period that ended in January, according to new administration figures.
The 4.9 million made up about 38 percent of the total enrollment of 12.7 million people, which includes signups and renewals at healthcare.gov and state-based exchanges, according to a Friday report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Signing up new people is critical for Obamacare to keep the insurance markets viable.
“This year’s customers are more engaged and better informed,” said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. “New customers came in earlier because they wanted a full year’s coverage, and 70 percent of returning customers actively selected a plan.”
HHS found that nearly 10 million people signed up or were automatically renewed in the 38 states that use healthcare.gov and an additional 3 million signed up in state-based marketplaces.
The administration cited data that found customers who switched their plans saved an average of $40 per month, or nearly $480 annually.
Cost has been an important issue for Obamacare as Republicans have criticized the healthcare law as not helping to reduce costs for Americans.
Another report released Friday by the administration found that 8.8 million people had paid their premiums by the end of 2015. The administration set a goal of about 10 million people paying their premiums by the end of 2016.
