Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, a record 20 million Americans have signed up for health insurance through the ACA marketplaces – nearly double the number of people enrolled when he took office. With just under one week left in the 2024 open enrollment period for most states, 80 percent of people can still find a health plan through the Marketplace for $10 or less per month thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act lowering health insurance premium costs. The Biden administration has done everything in its power to lower costs and get the word out about affordable coverage, with historic investments in outreach to rural Americans, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities – in stark contrast to the Trump administration which sabotaged open enrollment at every turn. But don’t just take our word for it:
(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. The 235,229 Arizonans who signed up in the enrollment period that ended Jan. 15 were part of 16.3 million people nationwide who got coverage from the “Obamacare” marketplace, also a record for covered individuals. Advocates credited the increase to aggressive efforts by the Biden administration that included a longer enrollment period and an extension of financial support for the federally subsidized health care that they say allows some low-income clients get coverage for as little as $10 a month.” [Cronkite News, 1/11/24]
(AZ) KJZZ: Record Number Of Arizonans Enroll In Affordable Care Act Marketplace Health Plans. “In Arizona, it’s also a record. More than 325,000 Arizonans have picked a plan on Healthcare.gov – a nearly 40% jump since last year. This year’s high participation comes after about 14 million people nationwide were disenrolled from Medicaid programs, as pandemic-era protections for that coverage expired in 2023. In Arizona, about 436,000 people have lost Medicaid coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The deadline for open enrollment through healthcare.gov is Jan.16.” [KJZZ, 1/11/24]
(FL) Florida Politics: Diagnosis for 1.10.24: Checking the Pulse of Florida Health Care News and Policy. “Florida is once again leading the nation in the number of people relying on Obamacare for health insurance as more than 4 million residents have signed up according to the latest numbers released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. More than 20 million Americans are relying on health coverage either through Healthcare.gov or state-created marketplaces — a record according to federal officials. Florida’s overall numbers have jumped from 3.2 million in 2023 to 4.03 million this year, CMS reported Wednesday. The numbers could still climb even higher as the enrollment deadline for the year is next week.” [Florida Politics, 1/10/24]
(GA) Atlanta Journal-Constitution: More Than 1 Million Georgians Sign Up For ACA Health Plans, A Big Record. “More than 1.2 million Georgians have signed up for health insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace, breaking all previous records and adding several hundred thousand to the state’s rolls of those with private insurance. […] This year, Georgia’s record sign-ups rose nearly 40% from last year, well over the nation’s average increase of 25%, said Krutika Amin, associate director of the Program on the ACA at the health research organization KFF. And the number of new sign-ups this year, an additional 350,000 over 2023, was the third biggest number in the country, behind only Texas and Florida.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/11/24]
(KY) BollyInside: Open Enrollment for Federally Subsidized Health Insurance Ends Jan 16; Kentucky Enrollment Surpasses Last Year’s Numbers. “Most Kentuckians are eligible for tax credits that can make premiums less than $10 a month, and many are eligible for $0 monthly premiums. As of Jan. 4, 71,414 Kentuckians have signed up for health insurance through Kynect, 8,852 more than last year.” [BollyInside, 1/07/24]
(MI) WXYZ: Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Extended Due to MLK Holiday. “More than 394,000 Michiganders have enrolled so far for 2024 open enrollment, an increase of almost 25% over this time last year. For 2023, more than 85% of enrollees qualified for savings, with many consumers able to get health insurance for less than $10 per month,” DIFS said.” [WXYZ, 1/11/24]
(NC) WNCN: Record Enrollment In Affordable Care Act Plans Highlighted In Raleigh. “The Biden administration announced record enrollment Wednesday in health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplace, highlighting the work in North Carolina to sign people up for those plans. So far, more than 20 million people have enrolled, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, eclipsing the 2023 total of 16.6 million. In N.C., nearly a million people have enrolled.” [WNCN, 1/10/24]
(NC) WRAL News: Cooper, Medicaid Leader Push Insurance Enrollment As North Carolina Medicaid Expansion Also Grows. “Brooks-LaSure also said Wednesday that some 20 million people nationwide — a record — have selected a plan so far on online insurance marketplaces since open enrollment started Nov. 1. CMS said in a statement that North Carolina has seen more than 996,000 plan selections during the enrollment period, which largely ends next Tuesday. […] Cooper, who is barred by term limits from seeking reelection this year, suggested that Medicaid expansion and other Affordable Care Act benefits could be threatened should some Republicans win in November. He pointed to Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is now running for governor and has said he didn’t support expansion legislation, and to former President Donald Trump, who said recently that he was ‘seriously looking at alternatives’ to the ACA should he win a second term.” [WRAL News, 1/10/24]
(NC) WRAL News: National Medicaid Leader Joins NC Gov. Cooper To Celebrate Affordable Care Act, Medicaid Expansion. “One of the nation’s top Medicaid leaders was in Raleigh on Wednesday to celebrate a big milestone in health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare. … As of Jan. 10, there are 996,250 people in North Carolina covered through the federal ACA marketplace, found at healthcare.gov. ‘Think about how complicated health insurance can be,’ Cooper, a Democrat, said. ‘For people who really haven’t even had the opportunity much to deal with health insurance, having a navigator who can help explain it to them in everyday language is critical.’” [WRAL News, 1/10/24]
(TX) ReformAustin: Texas No. 2 During Record-Breaking Obamacare Enrollment. “For the third straight year, enrollees in the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) have broken records. Texas is, by far, the state with the most customers, new and returning. On the CMS website, the enrollment is broken down by state. The state with the most enrollees during the 2024 open enrollment period is Florida with 4,034,546. Next is Texas with 3,291,543. From there, it’s a long way to third place, California, with 1,733,137. […] Florida and Texas would likely have even higher numbers if either state had accepted the ACA Medicaid expansion.” [ReformAustin, 1/11/24]
(WI) Wisconsin Examiner: Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Enrollment Reaches New Record In Wisconsin. “Through Dec. 23, 254,482 Wisconsin residents have signed up for insurance coverage on the HealthCare.gov portal during the current open enrollment period, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported. The portal, also known as the health care exchange, was established under the ACA and offers health plans that individuals or families can purchase. That exceeds the previous record, set in 2017, when more than 242,000 people signed up for coverage, according to the office of Gov. Tony Evers.” [Wisconsin Examiner, 1/11/24]
(WI) Channel 3000: Wisconsin Sees Record Health Insurance Enrollment Through Individual Marketplace. “More Wisconsinites signed up for health insurance through the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace during the most recent enrollment period than ever before, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Wednesday. As of Dec. 23, 2023, over 254,000 had signed up for insurance using the marketplace. That soars well above the state’s previous record of 242,863, which was set during the 2017 open enrollment period. ‘Every Wisconsinite should have access to quality, affordable healthcare,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement.” [Channel 3000, 1/10/24]
(WI) WKBT: Evers: Wisconsinites Sign Up In Record Numbers For Health Insurance On Individual Marketplace. “Residents in Wisconsin signed up in record numbers for health insurance on the federal marketplace. According to a release from Gov. Tony Evers’ office, as of Dec. 23, 254,482 signed up for plans through the individual marketplace made available in the Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as ‘Obamacare’.This is the highest enrollment number in the state since the ACA’s implementation, according to the release. The data come from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Gov. Evers attributes the increase in enrollment to subsidies provided by federal legislation including the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Open enrollment for the year continues through Jan. 16.” [News8Now, 1/10/24]
(WI) WEAU 13 News: Gov. Evers Announces Wisconsin Reaches Highest Enrollment Ever On HealthCare.gov. “Gov. Tony Evers today announced that, according to new enrollment data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as of Dec. 23, 2023, 254,482 Wisconsinites have signed up for health insurance on the individual marketplace. This marks the highest enrollment Wisconsin has ever reached. … ‘By getting insured, you are investing in your health and the health of those around you,’ said Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) Commissioner Nathan Houdek.” [WEAU 13 News, 1/10/24]