Health Law Sign-Ups Drop 20% As Constitutionality Decision Looms, But Experts Point To Marketplace’s Past Resiliency
So far, more than 932,000 people have signed up for 2020 health insurance coverage down from 1.1 million sign-ups this time last year despite the marketplace being stronger than ever.
Modern Healthcare:
Early HealthCare.Gov Sign-Ups Trail Last Year
Sign-ups during the first two weeks of open enrollment for 2020 Affordable Care Act exchange coverage are trailing last year's numbers. According to the CMS, about 932,000 people selected a health plan in the first two weeks of open enrollment, which kicked off on Nov. 1. That's about 244,000 fewer people than in the first two weeks of the previous open enrollment period. (Livingston, 11/13)
PBS NewsHour:
Obamacare Signups Are Down, But The Marketplaces Are Still Healthy
Sabrina Corlette, a research professor who directs Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms said the marketplace has demonstrated “remarkable resiliency.” The individual health insurance marketplace survived after the Republicans in Congress defanged the Affordable Care Act in 2017, wiping out the individual mandate. That rule had incentivized people to get health insurance by penalizing those who decided to forgo it. (Santhanam, 11/13)
CNBC:
Obamacare Early Enrollment Rate Drops 20% Amid Trump-Backed Lawsuit
Open enrollment began Nov. 1 and will run until Dec. 15 for most states. People who do not sign up for an Obamacare plan by the end of open enrollment will not be able to obtain coverage until the fall of 2020, unless they have a so-called qualifying life event, such as getting married or having a child. The tally comes as a federal appeals court in New Orleans is expected to issue a decision any day now on a lower court ruling that overturned Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, in a case known as Texas vs. the United States. (Lovelace, 11/13)
Post Bulletin:
MNsure CEO Says Signups Down, But Interest Strong 10 Days In
Signups are down, but new customers are up compared to last year during MNsure’s first 10 days of open enrollment, leaving officials hopeful of strong participation in the health care marketplace. “Everything we are seeing at this point is very encouraging,” CEO Nate Clark told MNsure board members during a directors meeting Wednesday, Nov. 13.Ten days in, 88,254 people had signed up for MNsure, the state marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare. That’s down from about 97,000 signups in early November 2018. (Magan, 11/13)
MPR News:
Navigating MNsure — In Somali, Spanish And English
Americans are scrambling to pick their health insurance plans. About 70 percent of Minnesotans of working age are eligible for plans through their employers or family members. But that figure has been dropping as fewer employers offer coverage and as the labor market slows. For those sifting through plans on MNsure, the state’s online health insurance marketplace, selecting a health plan can be especially daunting. (Fornoff, 11/14)
