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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsACA enrollment picks up steam
Posted with permission.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/aca-enrollment-picks-steam
ACA enrollment picks up steam
02/12/14 05:09 PM
By Steve Benen
The Affordable Care Act enrollment numbers in December were so strong, there was no realistic way for Januarys totals to match up. After all, December was the first month in which healthcare.gov was working effectively and the last month for consumers to enroll and have their coverage begin in January.
That said, while January wasnt the ACAs best month, it was its second-best month.
Obamacare had its second-best enrollment month in January, adding more than 1 million people to its rolls, much improved from the laws rough opening months. The drop was expected after Decembers key enrollment deadline, but didnt slow the sign-ups as much as anticipated.
The 1.1 million enrollments as of Feb. 1 bring the laws total to 3.3 million still behind its projected totals ahead of the Oct. 1 launch, which had anticipated that many sign-ups by the end of December. But after the law signed up a fraction of its expected enrollees in October and November before HealthCare.gov was declared fixed its continued positive news for the law, administration officials said.
The 1.1 million enrollments as of Feb. 1 bring the laws total to 3.3 million still behind its projected totals ahead of the Oct. 1 launch, which had anticipated that many sign-ups by the end of December. But after the law signed up a fraction of its expected enrollees in October and November before HealthCare.gov was declared fixed its continued positive news for the law, administration officials said.
Perhaps the most striking detail in todays report was the extent to which it exceeded expectations as the Washington Posts Sarah Kliff noted, Januarys enrollment totals actually **exceeded** pre-launch projections.
Whats more, the number of young adults enrolling has also inched higher from 24% to 27% which is expected to help improve the overall systems finances.
The full report from the Department of Health and Human Services is online here (pdf).
As for the politics, Sam Baker added, With two months left to go, Obamacare enrollment is on track to hand the White House a significant win over the laws critics. Its a boast grounded in fact.
To be sure, not all of the news related to the laws implementation is encouraging for those hoping to see the law succeed. The fact that the employer mandate, for example, has now been delayed twice is a reminder that challenges remain.
But on balance, its hard to honestly deny the system has found its footing and is gaining strength after a rollout plagued with difficulties.
As we talked about a few weeks ago, this is difficult for the laws detractors to admit out loud. Congressional Republicans havent been shy about their plans to devote the rest of the year to complaining obsessively about the Affordable Care Act, which they see as a winning electoral strategy the party assumes the law is unpopular, unworkable, and an electoral albatross for Democrats nationwide. Republicans dont need to govern, the argument goes, they just need to wait for Obamacare to implode.
But enrollment is going up, while the number of uninsured goes down. The number of states embracing Medicaid expansion is going up, while insurance-industry fears subside.
All the while, consumers who thought theyd hate Obamacare are slowly changing their minds.
The laws detractors wont want to hear this, but the imminent implosion of the Affordable Care Act has been cancelled.
Whats more, lets not forget that this is less of a comeback story than a story of normalcy and effective governance. I realize there was a fair amount of panic in November remember the pieces that predicted Obamacare may destroy all of liberalism forever? but there were plenty of voices counseling patience. There were problems, but they were surmountable. There were elements that were broken, but they could be fixed.
The recent progress, in other words, isnt some remarkable fluke the White House achieved through a Hail Mary pass. Rather, what were seeing now is progress many of us expected to see all along.
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