Biden celebrates record Affordable Care Act enrollments, notes BBB has to pass to sustain them
With three weeks left to go in open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) for most states, the Biden administration has already achieved record enrollments. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Wednesday that the “Open Enrollment Period is outpacing all previous years, a historic high of more than 13.6 million people already enrolled in health insurance coverage for 2022 through HealthCare.gov and State-based Marketplaces (SBMs).”
What’s more, 92% of the people enrolling in the states using the federal exchange have received premium tax credits for their plans, thanks to the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which expanded premium eligibility. That’s more than 400,000 people so far who would not have qualified for the credits before the ARP.
Since President Joe Biden took office, more than 4.6 million previously uninsured people got coverage through Obamacare.
Biden celebrated that fact in a statement lauding the achievement, while still calling for the long-term coverage expansion in his Build Back Better plan.
However, Biden said in his longer statement, “as long as there are Americans who still lie awake at night, wondering how they’re going to make it if an accident or illness hits home, we know we still have work to do.” Build Back Better would do continue the expansion of Obamacare’s subsidies for more than 9 million people, but would also expand Medicaid in the states that haven’t already done so, to cover at last 4 million more people.
“My Build Back Better Act represents the single most consequential expansion of affordable health care since the Affordable Care Act a decade ago,” Biden said. “We will press forward on passing Build Back Better, work to cut health care costs, and deliver greater peace of mind to American families in the new year.”
During just the December 5-15 enrollment period, approximately 5.8 million people signed up for new plans or were automatically re-enrolled in a plan in the 33 states that use the federal platform, adding to the 9.7 million who have signed up since open enrollment began.
For people who are currently enrolled, here’s the annual reminder to not just allow the system to re-enroll you. There could be better deals out there, with lower premiums for better coverage, thanks to the increased ARP subsidies. It’s always worth reviewing your options and doing some window shopping.