Obamacare enrollment drops slightly to 9.9 million

More than 9.9 million Americans were enrolled in health plans provided through the Affordable Care Act as of the end of June, a slight decline from the number at the end of the first quarter.

The new numbers were released Tuesday by the Obama administration in the latest quarterly report on the insurance marketplaces created by the federal health law.

The tally was a drop from the 10.2 million people who were enrolled in plans by the end of March.

Such attrition has been a regular process since the marketplaces opened in the fall of 2013, as consumers who select health plans during the annual open enrollment period drop coverage through the year or fail to pay premiums.

This year, the administration recorded 11.7 million sign-ups in February when the 2015 enrollment period closed.

The June tally still represents growth over last year when 6.3 million people were enrolled in health plans at the end of the year.

And multiple surveys over the last year have recorded historic declines in the number of uninsured since the law’s major coverage expansion began.

California led all states in the latest report, with nearly 1.4 million enrollees, overtaking Florida, which had the most sign-ups in the first quarter. Florida is now second, followed by Texas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

The new data also underscored how many consumers are relying on federal insurance subsidies made available by the law. About 84% of this year’s enrollees are getting assistance to buy coverage on the marketplaces.

Twitter: @noamlevey