Coverage is More Affordable Than Ever Before Thanks to The Inflation Reduction Act
Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that 16.3 million people have signed up for health coverage during the 2023 open enrollment period. This represents a record number of Americans who signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This is more than a 12 percent increase from the same time last year. In California, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington DC, residents can continue to sign up for coverage through January 31.
President Biden and Democrats in Congress have made incredible progress to ensure millions more Americans have the health care they deserve. This includes passing the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided enhanced premium tax credits to make coverage more affordable than ever before. The Biden administration also funded the Navigator program with the single-largest investment ever to focus on outreach to racial and ethnic minorities, people in rural areas, LGBTQ+ people, and other underserved communities. In addition, the Biden administration fixed the family glitch, which previously blocked millions of families from receiving affordable coverage under the ACA, allowing an estimated 200,000 uninsured Americans to gain coverage and save hundreds of dollars each month on health premiums. President Biden and Congressional Democrats are to thank for this immensely successful open enrollment period.
HEADLINES
The New York Times: Record 16 Million Sign Up for Affordable Care Plans. “The growing enrollment follows the passage of legislation during the coronavirus pandemic to increase federal subsidies for people buying the plans — substantially lowering prices for nearly every American who buys their own insurance. Around 3.6 million people selected plans in the Obamacare marketplaces who did not receive coverage through them last year. Last year’s total had been the highest in the law’s history.” [The New York Times, 1/25/23]
The Hill: A Record of Over 16 Million People Signed Up for Insurance Through Obamacare. “More than 16.3 million people enrolled in a health plan through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during the most recent open enrollment period, marking the highest number of enrollees since the program was signed into law 10 years ago.” [The Hill, 1/25/23]
Reuters: U.S. Signs Up Over 16 Million People for Obamacare Health Insurance. “About 12 million people enrolled from the 33 U.S. states that use the online marketplace funded by the federal government and about 4 million people from states that sell the insurance directly to their residents…About 3.6 million people who have signed up for the plans are new enrollees, White House Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice said on a press call.” [Reuters, 1/25/23]
CNN: Obamacare Sign-Ups Soar to Record 16.3 Million for 2023. “Sign-ups on the federal exchange, healthcare.gov, have skyrocketed nearly 50% since the Biden administration took office in 2021, thanks in large part to enhanced federal premium subsidies and increased outreach efforts. Plan selections are up 13% from this time last year.” [CNN, 1/25/23]
(AZ) Cronkite News: Record Numbers Sign Up for Obamacare Health Coverage in Arizona, U.S. “A record number of Arizonans signed up for health insurance this year under the Affordable Care Act, as enrollment in the program continues to rebound from the Trump administration’s efforts to suppress coverage…who trimmed funding and outreach and shortened the open enrollment period in an effort to handicap the ACA. President Joe Biden reversed those efforts shortly after taking office.” [Cronkite News, 1/25/23]
(FL) Miami Herald: Florida Sets Record in Obamacare Enrollment as People Clamor for Health Insurance. “In Florida, enrollment ballooned to 3.2 million, a 19% jump over last year’s open enrollment period under the health law, commonly known as Obamacare. The 3.2 million represents 20 percent of all enrollees nationwide, even though Florida, the third most populous state in the country with 22 million people, accounts for only about 7 percent of the U.S. population.” [Miami Herald, 1/26/23]
(MD) The Baltimore Sun: Obamacare Enrollment Increased for 2023 Coverage in Maryland With More Black, Hispanic Participants. “The number of Marylanders who enrolled in health coverage for 2023 through the state insurance exchange increased slightly from last year, to a record 182,166, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange announced in a news release Tuesday.Although total enrollment in what is known as Obamacare only climbed by about 560 people from 2022, enrollment continued to grow for members of communities that are more likely to lack coverage, such as Black and Hispanic residents.” [The Baltimore Sun, 1/24/23]
(NV) KSNV: Nearly 100,000 Nevadans Signed Up for Health Insurance This Year. “Nevada Health Link has announced that nearly 100,000 Nevadans have enrolled in qualified, affordable health insurance plans during this year’s Open Enrollment Period (OEP), which ran from November 1, 2022, through January 15, 2023…This year’s Open Enrollment was Nevada Health Link’s second highest to record, just down less than 5% from last year’s record-breaking Open Enrollment.” [KSNV, 1/24/23]
(GA) The Taccoa Record: Affordable Care Act Achieves Record Number in Georgia. “A record number of Georgians – over 846,000 – signed up for health insurance for 2023 under the Affordable Care Act during the latest open enrollment period, which ended on Sunday. That’s about 8 percent of the state’s population, and at least 145,000 more than signed up for the program last year.” [The Taccoa Record, 1/23/23]