11.4 million have signed up for Obamacare coverage
LOS ANGELES — More than 11 million individuals signed up for or renewed health insurance under options made available through the Affordable Care Act, the White House announced February 17.
“The Affordable Care Act is working,” President Barack Obama said in a video posted on Facebook. “It’s working a little better than we anticipated.”
Sunday, February 15, was the biggest enrollment day ever, the White House said.
“In the final day, we had more consumers sign up than we’ve ever had last year or this year in terms of those numbers,” Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in the Facebook video.
The figure of 11.4 million who have health insurance through Obamacare, however, is a preliminary one that could grow or shrink depending on certain scenarios.
This number could be greater, as the administration is offering those who started but weren’t able to complete applications a grace period that ends February 22.
But the final number could decline if people who have signed up for coverage in 2015 do not follow through in paying their premiums.
For instance, in 2014, 8 million consumers had initially signed up. However, by fall, only 6.7 million remained in the program; some of those who left found other coverage through a job.
The majority of Americans obtain health insurance through Medical, Medicaid or their employers, but an additional 10 million uninsured individuals gained insurance last year through the coverage expansion.
Some states expanded Medicaid, while another part of the law provides workers and families who do not have health insurance through their jobs subsidized private health insurance.
This year, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that there will be 19 million fewer uninsured Americans compared to if the Affordable Care Act had not passed.
Catchpoint Systems, a company that monitors website performance, reported that HealthCare.gov was available for more than 99 percent of the time during the final weekend of open enrollment.
