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Enrollment in Obamacare is below forecast

 
Published Jan. 26, 2016

Budget office update

Enrollment in Obamacare is below forecast

Reflecting slower than anticipated enrollment growth in health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Monday lowered its estimate of how many people will get coverage through the law in 2016.

In any given month this year, about 13 million people on average are now expected to be enrolled in a health plan purchased on a marketplace created by the law, often called Obamacare.

That is down from 21 million previously estimated by the budget office, whose projections about the impact of legislation are closely watched by both parties.

The number brings the budget office closer in line with the Obama administration, which scaled back its enrollment targets for 2016, citing the difficulty of reaching consumers who have not used the marketplaces.

The insurance marketplaces allow people who do not get coverage through an employer to shop among plans that must meet basic standards and cannot turn away customers with preexisting medical conditions.

Those making less than four times the federal poverty level — about $47,000 for a single adult or about $97,000 for a family of four — qualify for federal aid to offset insurance premiums.

The lower enrollment numbers have fueled some criticism from Republicans, who argue that the health care law should be repealed.

Administration officials say the slow enrollment growth partially reflects some of the law's success.

Polls have shown a decline in the nation's uninsured rate since the health law's coverage expansion began in 2014, with some 17 million previously uninsured Americans getting coverage through marketplaces, Medicaid and other sources.

Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)