Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nearly 1 Million People Signed Up For Obamacare After Open Enrollment Closed
The Wall Street Journal: HealthCare.gov Saw Almost 950,000 Sign Up After Open Enrollment
Almost 950,000 new customers selected health coverage on HealthCare.gov outside of the open-enrollment period after they became eligible due to changes such as losing their employer-provided insurance or having a baby, according to a government report on the federal health insurance exchange. With the new consumers who enrolled during the year due to changes in their circumstances, the Obama administration remains on track to meet its goal of 9.1 million to 9.9 million people who have paid for coverage through the insurance exchanges by the end of 2015. (Armour, 8/13)
The Associated Press: Health Law Sign-ups Keep Growing, Uninsured Rate Declines
Nearly a million people signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act even after the official enrollment season ended, helping push the share of uninsured Americans below 10 percent and underscoring how hard it could be for Republicans to dismantle the program. The Health and Human Services Department said Thursday that 943,934 new customers had signed up since open enrollment ended on Feb. 22, benefiting from “special enrollment periods” keyed to life changes and other circumstances. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/13)
Politico Pro: Nearly 1 Million Sign Up For Obamacare Through Special Enrollment
Nearly 1 million people signed up for health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges this spring, outside of the scheduled enrollment season, because of special circumstances, the Obama administration said Thursday. About 944,000 people chose health care plans on HealthCare.gov between Feb. 23 — shortly after the last enrollment season ended — and June 30. During that time, people were eligible to sign up if they had a qualifying life event, such as aging off a parent’s health plan. HHS also opened up a short window to enroll during tax season. (Haberkorn, 8/13)
And on the topic of health exchanges -
Minnesota Public Radio: MNsure Website Getting A Facelift From D.C. Non-Profit
MNsure has hired the non-profit company Consumers' Checkbook to help improve the shopping experience on its website. The Washington D.C.-based company has a lot of experience providing price and service comparison tools, and has worked on other state health insurance exchanges. (8/13)
