Federal Government Says Record 16.6 Million Enrolled in Affordable Care Act

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said this marks ‘the highest ever’ enrollment for Jan. 1, 2025, coverage.

A record 16.6 million Americans have signed up for health insurance for 2025 through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, the Biden administration said on Dec. 20.

Of these consumers, 2 million are new enrollees. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stated that those who have signed up will receive up to a full year of coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2025.

CMS said the figure, which reflects selections in the 31 states that use HealthCare.gov, will keep the ACA “on track for a record high number of plan selections” for this year’s open enrollment.

“The record-breaking enrollment in Marketplace coverage speaks volumes about the critical need for health care coverage,” CMS administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement.

Brooks-LaSure called on Americans to quickly secure coverage through the ACA and take advantage of the enhanced tax credits that are still available for 2025 to make coverage more affordable.

CMS has previously extended the deadline for enrolling in the coverage plan that begins Jan. 1, 2025, from Dec. 15 to Dec. 18. Enrollment for plan that begins in February 2025 is now open until Jan. 15, 2025.

During the 2024 open enrollment period, 21.3 million consumers signed up for health coverage through the ACA, including 5 million new enrollees, according to the agency.

Outgoing President Joe Biden had earlier urged Congress to extend the ACA after a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report highlighted a potential surge in the number of uninsured people if health care subsidies are removed. The ACA is set to expire at the end of next year.

In a Dec. 6 statement, Biden said health care should not be considered “a privilege.”

“Millions of Americans are benefiting from expanded premium tax credits that lower their premiums. If Congress takes that benefit away, premiums will spike and 3.8 million people will become uninsured,” the president stated.

“That’s simply wrong. The American people don’t deserve to see their health insurance premiums skyrocket,” he added.

The CBO stated in its report that “healthier-than-average people will exit the marketplaces if the expanded credits are no longer available,” which would result in insurers raising premiums for the remaining enrollees.

According to the report, the number of uninsured Americans would rise by 2.2 million if the ACA is not extended through 2026, and by an average of 3.8 million each year between 2026 and 2034.

The report also stated that gross benchmark premiums could increase by 7.9 percent on average over the 2026–2034 period if the ACA is removed, leading to more people exiting the marketplace.