Feds say nearly 18 million now insured through Obamacare
Nearly 18 million people have gained health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act, but 10.5 million more uninsured could sign up for plans on state and federal exchanges, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Tuesday.
Citing just-released federal data, Burwell said the 17.6 million people who gained coverage included children up to age 26 who were able to stay on their parents plans, the expansion of Medicaid and the availability of the state and federal insurance exchanges.
Speaking at Howard University in Washington — one of the historically black colleges and universities — Burwell also noted that the uninsured rate dropped 10.3% among African-Americans as 2.6 million gained coverage. Four million Latino adults also became insured, representing an 11.5% decline in the rate of uninsured Hispanics.
Nearly 10 million people have paid for Obamacare plans
With open enrollment in the federal and state exchanges starting Nov. 1, Burwell acknowledged it's "going to be tougher than last year." She says HHS will work to bolster enrollment everywhere but will target Dallas, Houston, northern New Jersey, Chicago, and Miami, where the highest numbers of uninsured who are eligible for coverage.
Almost half of the uninsured individuals who are likely eligible for marketplace plans are between the ages of 18 and 34. About one-third of the uninsured who qualify for Obamacare plans are minorities: 19% are Hispanic, 14% are African American, and 2% are Asian American, she said.
They are also likely to need the federal subsidies to buy their plans. About half of the uninsured have less than $100 in savings. Nearly three in five of the uninsured are either confused about how the tax credits work or don’t know that they are available to most low income people.
Advance premium tax credits cut the amount people pay for their monthly health insurance premiums. During the last open enrollment season, 84% of people who bought plans on the federal and state exchanges received an average of $270 per month to help lower their monthly premium cost.
