On Thursday, government officials announced that the number of people signing up for health insurance this open enrollment period on HealthCare.gov hit nearly 9 million. Consumers set a new record for weekly enrollment when, from December 10 to December 15, 4,143,968 people selected health insurance plans on HealthCare.gov. The previous high-water mark was 4,078,562 signing up during the week of December 13 to December 19, 2015.
Following is the statement of Frederick Isasi, executive director of Families USA:
“These strong enrollment numbers remind us how highly families in America value the private health insurance offered through marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act. Despite efforts by the Trump Administration to suppress enrollment – including cutting the enrollment window in half, slashing funding to provide in-person enrollment assistance, redirecting outreach money, shutting down HealthCare.gov on Sundays, and reducing the advertising budget by a startling 90 percent– families from across the nation overcame the hurdles put in their way and signed up for coverage at an unprecedented pace.
“There is no reasonable justification for the administration cutting in half the time families had to enroll in coverage and slashing outreach to families. We applaud the nonprofit organizations and volunteers who educated consumers and helped them enroll, stepping-in and providing critical assistance after the administration’s decision to drastically reduce its own outreach efforts. We likely will never know how many millions of additional families would have benefited from health insurance if the administration had worked to help them enroll in the coverage and not worked against them.
“Nearly 9 million people enrolled in marketplace coverage offered through HealthCare.gov. We urge President Trump and his Congressional allies to honor the will of the American people and abandon their efforts to undermine the ACA health coverage relied on by working families. Instead, lawmakers at the federal and state levels should focus on improving health and health care by expanding Medicaid in the states that have not yet done so, by helping more families afford their health insurance, and ensuring that the coverage they receive is comprehensive and high quality. We stand ready to partner with them in achieving these goals.”
Families USA, a leading national voice for health care consumers, is dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care and improved health for all.
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