Uncertainty Over Health Law Not Scaring Away Enrollees In States
Media outlets report on health law signups in Georgia, Kansas, Florida, Illinois and Tennessee.
Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Nearly 107,000 Georgians Signed Up For Obamacare Health Plans
More than 100,000 Georgians have selected health coverage through the Obamacare insurance exchange since open enrollment began Nov. 1, federal data released Wednesday shows. Nationwide, 2.1 million Americans have signed up for coverage through HealthCare.gov, more than had signed up at this time last year, said Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell. (Williams, 11/30)
Georgia Health News:
Exchange Sign-Ups In Georgia Higher Than Last Year’s
More Georgians have signed up for coverage for the upcoming insurance exchange than at the same time last year, according to new federal figures released Wednesday. The 106,905 total through Nov. 26 exceeds the 105,299 Georgia sign-ups through Nov. 28 last year. The sign-up increase comes amid a re-energized Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, which created the state health insurance exchanges. (Miller, 11/30)
Kansas Health Institute:
Kansas Marketplace Enrollment Hits 25,000 In First Month
Close to 25,000 Kansans have signed up for health insurance through the online marketplace, healthcare.gov, despite uncertainty about the future of the Affordable Care Act under a new administration. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service reported Wednesday that 24,778 people in Kansas had signed up for insurance since open enrollment for 2017 started Nov. 1. The number of people seeking insurance was up less than 2 percent compared to the same period during open enrollment last year. (Wingerter, 11/30)
Miami Herald:
More Than 500,000 Floridians So Far Sign Up For Obamacare Coverage In 2017
The Obama administration on Wednesday reported that during the four weeks since open enrollment began on Nov. 1 nearly 514,000 Floridians have signed up for 2017 coverage — representing more than one quarter of the total 2.1 million plan selections to date among the 39 states using the federally run insurance exchange at healthcare.gov. (Chang, 11/30)
Chicago Tribune:
More Americans, Illinoisans Enrolling In Obamacare, Despite Uncertainty
Uncertainty surrounding the future of Obamacare hasn't stopped a growing number of consumers in Illinois and across the nation from buying health insurance through the law's exchanges this year. More than 2.1 million Americans — including 68,192 Illinoisans — selected health insurance plans through the Obamacare exchange since open enrollment began Nov. 1, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Wednesday. In Illinois, that's up nearly 1,400 over the same time last year, and nationally, that's about 97,000 more compared with November 2015. (Schencker, 11/30)
Nashville Tennessean:
Tennessee Obamacare Enrollment Lags National Numbers Amid Uncertainty
The number of Tennesseans who selected insurance plans on the Obamacare exchange in November is lagging both the national activity and the state's activity last year. There were 55,434 people who picked a plan across the state from Nov. 1 to Nov. 26, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In the first four weeks of enrollment in 2015, 62,922 Tennesseans selected a plan. The layers of local and political confusion are muddling the enrollment process in Tennessee. Nationally, enrollment hit 2.1 million in the first four weeks of this enrollment season, exceeding the enrollees the year prior. (Fletcher, 11/30)
The CT Mirror:
CT Business Community On Watch Over ACA Repeal Effort
GOP plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act would affect individuals who’ve been purchasing their coverage on state exchanges or through the expansion of Medicaid the most, but some who receive their health care from their employers are also likely to be affected. The ACA mandated that companies with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees provide health insurance to at least 95 percent of their full-time employees and dependents up to age 26, or pay a penalty. A repeal of the mandate, a Republican priority, may prompt some of those companies to drop coverage. (Radelat, 11/30)
