Health Law Sign-Ups Down 11% From Last Year With Two Weeks Left In Open Enrollment
In the first five weeks of the enrollment period, 3.2 million Americans signed up for health insurance coverage Obamacare plans. In the same period last year, 3.6 million enrolled.
The New York Times:
Why Is Obamacare Enrollment Down?
More than halfway through the sign-up period for Obamacare health plans, fewer people have enrolled in coverage than during the same stretch last year. Enrollment through the federal website Healthcare.gov, which manages insurance marketplaces in 39 states, is down 11 percent compared to 2017, according to government figures released Thursday. Given President Trump’s assault on the law, many people are watching this year’s enrollment closely for clues to its durability. While it is too soon to draw any firm conclusions, there are several reasons sign-ups could be lower — and not all of them spell trouble for the landmark legislation. (Abelson and Sanger-Katz, 12/6)
The Associated Press:
Obama Health Law Sign-Ups Lagging For 2019
With open enrollment ending next week, the government says sign-ups for coverage under former President Barack Obama’s health care law are lagging when compared with last year. Figures released Thursday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show that about 3.2 million people have signed up so far for subsidized private insurance, compared with about 3.6 million at the same time last year. Open enrollment ends Dec. 15. Health law supporters are concerned. The number of new customers is down nearly 18 percent. (12/6)
The Hill:
ObamaCare Enrollment Down 11 Percent From Last Year
Enrollment in ObamaCare plans is down by 11 percent compared to last year, according to new sign up numbers released by the Trump administration. In the first five weeks of this year's sign up period, about 3.2 million people have signed up for ObamaCare plans, compared to the 3.6 million who had signed up by this point last year. (Hellmann, 12/6)
Maine's Medicaid expansion fight is also in the news —
Bangor (Maine) Daily News:
Judge Rejects LePage Bid To Stall Medicaid Expansion
A judge has denied Gov. Paul LePage’s administration’s request to stay an order forcing it to implement voter-approved Medicaid expansion, but pushed the deadline to do so back to after the Republican leaves office. The Thursday ruling effectively hands the long-running political and legal fight over implementing a policy that voters approved in 2017 to Gov.-elect Janet Mills, a Democrat who has said fully implementing the expansion plan is a top priority. (Bleiberg, 12/6)
The Hill:
Maine Judge Denies GOP Governor's Request To Stay Medicaid Expansion Order
The court on Thursday delayed a previous deadline it had set for enrollments in Medicaid expansion to begin from Dec. 5 to Feb. 1, meaning the new administration will be in place when enrollments start. “This is good news in that the court is denying the request for a stay, at the same time the court is extending the deadline for rulemaking and enrollment to February 1st,” said Robyn Merrill, executive director of Maine Equal Justice Partners, the advocacy group suing in favor of implementing Medicaid expansion. (Sullivan, 12/6)
