ACA enrollment reaches three million after 800K signed up in January

January 27, 2014
Friday’s announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services that 800,000 more people signed up for insurance exchange plans in January is covered in media outlets almost universally as a hurdle cleared for the Affordable Care Act.  Bloomberg News (1/25, Wayne) reported some of the new enrollees pushed “total enrollment to 3 million as negative perceptions about the program give way to more practical needs.” HHS Secretary Sebelius “touted the January figures in a speech today in Jacksonville, Florida,” while an HHS blog post said more outreach means those numbers are likely to “continue to grow.” One industry analyst said the enrollment was good news for insurers, and “if the pace of sign-ups continues, enrollment should be close to 5 million by the end of March.” The Administration wants about seven million people by then. Sebelius was in Jacksonville on another in a round of “multiple appearances in both Florida and Texas over the past six months.” Neither state operates its own insurance exchange.

Reuters (1/25) reported that the newest enrollment figures suggest the Obama Administration is steering past its bumpy launch of the insurance exchange and could reach its goal of 7 million people by March 31. CMS chief Marilyn Tavenner announced the new total Friday in the HHS blog post. Earlier in the week, the Obama Administration said 6.3 million people also qualified for Medicaid and the CHIP program this month.

The Washington Post (1/25, Kliff) reported that the Obama Administration expected some 1.1 million people to enroll this month when it set targets in September, and that “could be in reach with one week left in January for people to sign up.” It adds that there will likely “be another uptick in enrollment this spring, as potential enrollees get closer to the March 31 end of open enrollment.”

The Los Angeles Times (1/25, Levey) reported that the new enrollment “milestone” also “suggests that the marketplaces are continuing to recover from a disastrous launch on Oct. 1.” Also reporting were USA Today (1/24, Kennedy), The Hill (1/24, Easley) “Healthwatch” blog, Bloomberg BusinessWeek (1/24, Green), NBC News (1/24, Fox), and the Huffington Post (1/24, Stein).
Article courtesy American Medical Association