Despite Dire Predictions, Pace Of Health Law Sign-Ups In First Days Of Enrollment Surging
The Trump administration slashed the budget for outreach this year, but some say that all the attention that was on the political debate about the law has kept the issue at the forefront of consumers' minds.
The New York Times:
Pace Of Sign-Ups Under Affordable Care Act Blows Past Prior Years
More than 600,000 people signed up last week for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, significantly beating the pace of prior years as consumers defied President Trump’s assertion that the marketplace was collapsing. (Pear, 11/9)
The Associated Press:
Despite Trump's Scorn, Early 'Obamacare' Sign-Ups Top 600k
With only four days of data, experts said it's hard to discern a trend. But definitely the Affordable Care Act doesn't seem to be collapsing. If anything sign-ups for 2018 are on track with previous years. Figures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services showed that 601,462 people signed up Nov. 1-4 in the 39 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website. Of those consumers, about 77 percent were renewing their coverage, and about 23 percent were new customers, a split that mirrors previous years. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/9)
USA Today:
Feds' Obamacare Site Does Biggest Business Yet, While About Half Of People Can Pay $0
Consumers are flocking to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges to buy insurance, setting a record in the first few days of open enrollment, federal numbers out Thursday show. Total daily sign-ups were up 79% for the first few days Healthcare.gov was open, compared to the equivalent period last year. Open enrollment started Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 15. (O'Donnell, 11/9)
The Washington Post:
More Than 600,000 Consumers Select ACA Plans At Start Of Enrollment, CMS Says
While CMS officials did not provide a direct comparison with any of the four previous enrollment periods, administration officials said that more than 200,000 consumers selected plans on the first day, more than double the number last year. The officials spoke about the first-day figure on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose it. The overall total for the initial four days compares with just over 1 million Americans who signed up on the federal exchange during the first 12 days of open enrollment in 2016. (Eilperin and Goldstein, 11/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Insurers See Jump in Sign-Ups for Affordable Care Act
Insurers suggested the early influx was partly sparked by the spotlight on the ACA amid Republican efforts to repeal or change it. “You couldn’t have paid for that kind of advertising,” said Steve Ringel, president of the Ohio market for CareSource, which sells ACA plans in four states. “It doesn’t matter what the story line is, it’s drawing attention to the marketplace.” (Wilde Mathews, 11/9)
Los Angeles Times:
Signups For Obamacare Insurance Coverage Surge, Despite Trump Administration Attacks
The pace of signups cheered supporters of the healthcare law, many of whom feared that President Trump’s criticism of the law, coupled with major cuts in federal funding for advertising and outreach efforts, would depress enrollment. At six weeks, the enrollment period is also only half as long this year, running until Dec. 15. (Levey, 11/9)
The Hill:
About 600,000 Sign Up For ObamaCare In First Four Days
About 130,000 people were new customers this year, while about 460,000 were returning customers. (Sullivan, 11/9)
Bloomberg:
Obamacare Enrollment Starts Stronger Than 2016 In First Four Days
“All this discussion about repeal made people aware that, ‘Wow, I should be grateful for what I have access to,”’ said Len Nichols, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. “There’s just way more consciousness to the value of health insurance than before they tried to repeal it.” (Edney and Tozzi, 11/9)
Modern Healthcare:
HealthCare.Gov Numbers Outpaced 2016 During First Week Of Open Enrollment
The federal government hasn't set an enrollment goal as the Obama administration did for previous open enrollment periods. In 2017, 10.3 million people got coverage and paid their first month's premiums through the exchanges. (Livingston, 11/9)
Reuters:
Amid Trump Cuts, Uber Kicks Off Campaign To Enroll Drivers In Obamacare
Uber Technologies Inc and some smaller technology companies are launching campaigns to publicize Obamacare enrollment among their contract workers after the Trump administration slashed government marketing for the health program by 90 percent. Freelance and contract workers are an important part of the workforce for many Silicon Valley companies, including drivers at Uber and rival Lyft Inc, and technology companies also have been among the most vocal in confronting Trump administration policies - particularly immigration - that they perceive as hurting their workforce. (Rodriguez, 11/9)
Kaiser Health News:
Obamacare Shopping Is Trickier Than Ever. Here’s A Cheat Sheet.
Health care is complicated. Shopping for an individual health plan just got even more so, with President Donald Trump’s decision last month to block $7 billion in Affordable Care Act subsidies. Known as cost-sharing reduction payments (CSRs), these federal funds had helped insurers offset the costs of the discounts they are required to offer to some lower-earning customers to help them pay for deductibles and copays. (Hancock, 11/10)
Politico Pro:
Pulse Check: How ‘Get America Covered’ Is Doing The Job That HHS Is Not
The ex-Obama officials leading the guerrilla effort to boost Affordable Care Act sign-ups are celebrating their first big win after CMS posted early enrollment numbers that are nearly double last year's pace — even though the Trump administration slashed outreach, ads and other messaging. (Diamond, 11/9)
Georgia Health News:
ACA Exchange Enrollment Shows Surprising Early Pace
Georgia officials involved with enrolling consumers reported Thursday that they have seen a steady flow of people looking to sign up for 2018 exchange coverage. (Miller, 11/9)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Health Insurance Signups For Covered California Up 25 Percent On first Day
The fifth open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act is off to a strong start in California, with 5,900 people signing up for new health insurance plans on Nov. 1 — 25 percent higher than the first day of open enrollment in 2016, Covered California officials said. Open enrollment runs through Jan. 31, and it is too soon to tell whether the pace of signups will continue, but the initial numbers are one early signal that Covered California’s aggressive ramp-up in advertising, marketing and outreach efforts is paying off. (Ho, 11/9)
