“At a time when more Americans are enrolling in the ACA than ever before, it is outlandish that the likely GOP nominee is even considering another attempt at repeal,” said Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care.
Yesterday, the Biden administration announced that a record-breaking 21.3 million Americans have signed up for health care on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace for 2024 coverage. Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, four out of five enrollees were able to find a plan for $10 or less per month. Even as more Americans are relying on the ACA than ever, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has continued his threats to repeal the Affordable Care Act and throw millions of families off their health care coverage.
HEADLINES
The Washington Post: Obamacare Enrollment Hits Record Level As Trump Vows Repeal. “‘At a time when more Americans are enrolling in the ACA than ever before, it is outlandish that the likely GOP nominee is even considering another attempt at repeal,’ Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, a Democrat-aligned health-care advocacy group, said in a statement. About 3 in 5 voters — including 1 in 5 Republicans — trust Democratic politicians more than Republicans to handle the future of the Affordable Care Act, according to polling released last month by KFF.” [The Washington Post, 1/24/24]
CNN: Obamacare Sign-Ups Hit Record 21.3 Million As Biden Pushes His Efforts To Lower Health Care Costs. “Nearly 5 million more people signed up for Obamacare policies for this year compared with last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, said Wednesday. Notably, about a quarter of people selecting plans were new consumers… The explosion in interest in Obamacare policies would make it harder for Trump to dismantle the health reform law, as he and congressional Republicans unsuccessfully tried to do after he took office in 2017. Only about 12.2 million people signed up for Affordable Care Act coverage during that open enrollment period.” [CNN, 1/24/24]
Modern Healthcare: Open Enrollment Breaks 21M For 2024. “Nearly 4.2 million people with incomes of less than 250% of the federal poverty level signed up for 2024 coverage, the agency said. Medicaid redeterminations that began last year helped push up the numbers. As of Dec. 31, about 15% of people who enrolled through the federal HealthCare.gov portal were previously enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.” [Modern Healthcare, 1/24/24]
Spectrum News: Record 21.3 Million Signed Up For Affordable Care Act Plans, Biden Announces. “The number represents a more than 30% increase from the previous year, when 16.3 million Americans signed up, according to the White House. In total, 9 million additional people have enrolled in plans through HealthCare.gov or state-based marketplaces since Biden took office three years ago… Health policy experts have attributed the increase in enrollments largely to federal subsidies for people purchasing plans. The subsidies were included in two pieces of major legislation spearheaded by Biden: the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act.” [Spectrum News, 1/24/24]
Axios: ACA Enrollment Surged In Red States This Year. “The 30.7% annual increase in ACA sign-ups comes as former President Trump’s renewed calls for repeal have again raised doubts about the law’s future. Enrollment figures released by federal health officials on Wednesday indicate that Republican-leaning states would be heavily affected by the law’s repeal. States with the largest year-over-year increase in sign-ups include West Virginia (80.2%), Louisiana (75.9%), Ohio (62.2%), Indiana (59.5%) and Tennessee (59.5%), according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the marketplaces.” [Axios, 1/24/24]
The Hill: Obamacare Marks Third Year of Record Enrollment With 5 Million More Sign-Ups. “Biden called for lowered premiums enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act to be made permanent. The president also went after Republicans in Congress for having ‘a different vision. … Their recent budget would get rid of the improvements I signed into law, raising costs for millions of people,” Biden said. “If the extreme Republicans in Congress get their way, millions of families would face skyrocketing health care costs or lose their health care altogether. I won’t let it happen on my watch, and I’ll keep fighting to bring down health care and prescription drug costs.’” [The Hill, 1/24/24]
Reuters: US Signs Up Record 21.3 Million People for 2024 Obamacare Plans. “‘For decades, when it came to federal programs we could depend on to keep Americans covered, three were always top of mind — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, but now it’s crystal clear that we need to add a fourth — the Affordable Care Act,’ said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.” [Reuters, 1/24/24]
MSNBC: ACA Enrollment Totals Soar as Republicans Renew Attacks. “For health care advocates, the data is encouraging on its own, and it reflects what’s possible when congressional Democrats lower premiums and an administration commits to covering as many Americans as possible.” [MSNBC, 1/25/24]
AlterNet: Trump’s Call To Repeal Obamacare Blasted As ‘Outlandish’ As Signups Hit New Record High. “‘At a time when more Americans are enrolling in the ACA than ever before, it is outlandish that the likely GOP nominee is even considering another attempt at repeal,’ Brad Woodhouse, who is executive director of the progressive nonprofit Protect Our Care, told the Post.” [AlterNet, 1/24/24]
PoliticoPro: Biden Touts Record Obamacare Numbers Ahead Of Reelection Campaign. “The record-breaking signups during the latest open enrollment mean that 9 million more people have gotten Obamacare coverage since Biden took office in 2021. One of the drivers for the signups are enhanced subsidies passed as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Those premiums though expire after 2025.” [PoliticoPro, 1/24/24]
STATEMENTS
President Joe Biden: “The American people have made it clear: they don’t want the Affordable Care Act weakened and repealed – they want it strengthened and protected. We need to build on the progress we’ve made by making lower premiums permanent. But Republicans in Congress have a different vision. … If the extreme Republicans in Congress get their way, millions of families would face skyrocketing health care costs or lose their health care altogether. I won’t let it happen on my watch, and I’ll keep fighting to bring down health care and prescription drug costs.” [President Joe Biden Statement, 1/24/24]
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra: “For decades, when it came to federal programs we could depend on to keep Americans covered, three were always top of mind — Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, but now it’s crystal clear that we need to add a fourth — the Affordable Care Act. Once again, a record-breaking number of Americans have signed up for affordable health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace, and now they and their families have the peace of mind that comes with coverage. The ACA continues to be a successful, popular, and important federal program to millions of people and their families.” [HHS Press Release, 1/24/24]
Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: “Under the leadership of President Biden, Democrats have delivered on our promise to make health care more affordable and accessible for American families. Today’s announcement means more than 21 million people will have high-quality, affordable health care in 2024, shattering all previous Open Enrollment Period records.” [Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Statement, 1/24/24]
House Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr.: “While Trump vows to repeal the ACA, a historic 21 MILLION Americans have signed up for health care coverage already this year. That’s no coincidence. Democrats protected the law, lowered monthly premiums, and invested to help people sign up for coverage.” [@EnergyCommerce, 1/24/24]
House Education & Labor Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott: “MAGA Republicans are intent on repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Last Congress, @POTUS and Congressional Democrats strengthened the ACA by passing the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act. We will continue to build on this progress and #ProtectOurCare.” [X, 1/24/24]
Representative Kathy Castor: “We have just hit an all-time high in the number of Americans who have affordable health care coverage because of the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act is keeping people healthy and helping to keep money in their pockets at a time that they need it. Millions of Floridians and millions of Americans have peace of mind that a preexisting condition or medical diagnosis will not bankrupt them.” [Protect Our Care Press Conference, 1/24/24]
Representative Lauren Underwood: “Today is one of my favorite days in Congress because today is a health care day! This is the third straight year of record-breaking enrollment, with more than 23 million Americans signing up for coverage on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. We’ve reached this milestone in part because of my Health Care Affordability Act, which has helped four out of five people find coverage for $10 or less. Congress must build on this progress and make these savings permanent.” [Protect Our Care Press Conference, 1/24/24]