Thanks to Joe Biden’s leadership, a record 20 million Americans have signed up for health insurance through ACA marketplaces – nearly double the number of people enrolled when President Biden took office. There’s just under one week left in the 2024 open enrollment period for families to sign up for affordable health care at HealthCare.gov. Thanks in large part to the Inflation Reduction Act’s reduction of health insurance premium costs, eighty percent of people can still find a health plan through the Marketplace for $10 or less per month. 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 which is in stark contrast to the Trump Administration which sabotaged open enrollment at every turn.
FEATURED:
President Biden: “Folks, I have two big announcements. A record-breaking 20 million Americans have enrolled in health care coverage through the ACA. And you have until January 16 join them and get covered this season at http://HealthCare.gov.” [X, @POTUS, 1/10/24]
Secretary Xavier Becerra: “Obamacare continues to break records! This year, over 20M people selected an ACA Marketplace plan – more than ever before! @POTUS promised to strengthen and build on the Affordable Care Act, and these numbers show we are delivering results for the American people.“ [X, @SecBecerra, 1/10/24]
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05): “NEWS: 20 million Americans have health care thanks to the Affordable Care Act! Democrats are proud to celebrate this historic milestone as we continue our work to ensure every American can find and afford care.” [X, WhipKClark, 1/10/24]
House Ways & Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (MA-01): “A record 20 MILLION Americans enrolled in health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Thank you, @POTUS. Thank you, @BarackObama.” [X, @RepRichardNeal, 1/10/24]
House Education & Labor Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03): “20 million people have access to health care thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Democrats will continue to protect the ACA and build on its successes.” [X, @BobbyScott, 1/10/24]
Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14): “With days to go before the January 15th deadline, we are on track for another year of record breaking enrollment. Visit http://healthcare.gov to get covered before Monday!” [X, @RepUnderwood, 1/10/24]
HEADLINES:
The New York Times: More Than 20 Million People Have Signed Up For Obamacare Plans, Blowing By Record. “More than 20 million people have signed up for plans on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces during the annual open enrollment period, far surpassing last year’s record of more than 16 million enrollments, the Biden administration announced on Wednesday. The figures were a landmark moment for the 2010 health law, underscoring the significance of enhanced subsidies for Americans and the continuing reach of the marketplaces after years of Republican efforts to whittle them down. […] The enrollees include people like Kennita Hickman, 39, who has several autoimmune disorders and was on the verge of losing her Medicaid coverage late last year because her income was too high to qualify for the government program. She found a lifeline in a free Obamacare plan, which has allowed her access to doctors and a therapist. ‘I have three health conditions that I have to manage,’ said Ms. Hickman, who owns a media company in Milwaukee. ‘Being without insurance is always scary.’” [The New York Times, 1/10/24]
The Hill: ObamaCare Enrollment Breaks Record For Third Consecutive Year. “Health insurance enrollment through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) insurance marketplace has reached a record for the third consecutive year, according to the latest update from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS said in a statement Wednesday that enrollment for 2024 ACA plans had broken 20 million so far, with just less than a week left for people to sign up for plans. This exceeds 2023’s enrollment — 16.3 million — by roughly 4 million people. ‘Today, we hit a major milestone in lowering costs and ensuring all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care: a record-breaking 20 million Americans have enrolled in health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces,’ President Biden said Wednesday. ‘With six days left to still get covered, 8 million more Americans have signed up for ACA coverage than when I took office.’” [The Hill, 1/10/24]
Reuters: US Sets Enrollment Record For Obamacare Plans. “More than 20 million Americans have so far signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) marketplace for this year, the highest since the inception of the law, according to data released on Wednesday. Over 3.7 million people who have signed up for the 2024 plans are new enrollees, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed. ‘Today is a momentous day. A record number of people in the United States have health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace — more than at any point in history,’ said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. The latest data represents enrollment through December 23 for the 32 states using HealthCare.gov and for the 18 states and the District of Columbia with State-based Marketplaces, the HHS said. The law, also known as Obamacare, was former U.S. President Barack Obama’s signature piece of domestic legislation. The Biden-Harris Administration had projected late last year that over 19 million people will enroll in 2024 through the ACA marketplace. People who want to choose a healthcare plan for 2024 under the ACA can enroll before the deadline of Jan. 16, 2024.” [Reuters, 1/10/24]
MSNBC: Affordable Care Act Breaks Enrollment Record. “When you can say that there are 20 million Americans today who have peace of mind because they have their own health insurance coverage, that’s a success. And I’d say that the Affordable Care Act has proven that millions of Americans want that peace of mind…Because Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and now the ACA marketplaces, are giving Americans that peace of mind they need so that [if] they have to take their son or daughter to the hospital, they won’t go bankrupt.” [MSNBC, 1/10/24, VIDEO]
Seeking Alpha: Obamacare Enrollments Exceed 20M, A Record High. “The Biden administration announced Wednesday that more than 20M Americans have signed up for Obamacare plans in health insurance exchanges for the 2024 enrollment period, the highest since the Affordable Care Act became law 14 years ago. As of Dec. 23, more than 20.3M Americans had signed up for health plans since the 2024 marketplace open enrollment period launched on Nov. 1, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said. That indicates a 25% growth from the previous record, when ACA marketplaces added more than 16.3M people for the 2023 enrollment period, marking a 12% rise from a year ago. 3.7M, or 18% of total enrollments, were new to the exchanges, and the rest already had 2023 coverage and chose exchanges to select a new plan or were automatically added. ‘Today is a momentous day. A record number of people in the United States have health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace — more than at any point in history,’ HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said.” [Seeking Alpha, 1/10/24]
The Union Journal: More Than 20 Million People Have Signed Up for Obamacare Plans, Blowing by Record. “The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that more than 20 million individuals have enlisted in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces during the annual enrollment period, a substantial increase from the previous record of over 16 million enrollments last year. This momentous occasion highlights the importance of the 2010 health legislation, the persisting influence of the marketplaces in spite of Republican attempts to diminish them, and the importance of enhanced subsidies for American citizens. Adrianna McIntyre, a health policy specialist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, pointed out that ‘The marketplaces are becoming increasingly ingrained in the infrastructure of U.S. healthcare. The expansion of the marketplaces contributes to their stability.’ The administration shared that almost 750,000 individuals enlisted in a marketplace plan on HealthCare.gov on Dec. 15, the deadline for coverage starting Jan. 1. This figure marked the largest single-day total. As the deadline to enroll in the plans is 5 a.m. Eastern on Jan. 17, this allows Americans to acquire coverage beginning the following month and the total count is expected to rise.” [The Union Journal, 1/10/24]