Obamacare continues to deliver surprises.
The 7.3 million people who are now enrolled in government-sponsored health insurance plans exceeds the 6 million individuals the Congressional Budget Office predicted would register this year. The chief of Medicare revealed the recent data — the first since May — during a committee meeting on Thursday.
Such a large number originally seemed unlikely following the botched rollout of HealthCare.gov on Oct. 1 of this past year. Enrollment figures during the first month of sign-ups in the online marketplace fell far below the expected outcome. Many users and reporters gave the platform negative reviews because of corresponding widespread glitches, which initially prevented millions of Americans from registering for insurance plans. Some people believed President Barack Obama failed at dealing with the crisis.
Photo Essay: Take a look at one state’s health care revolution
On March 31, the deadline to register for coverage this year, the website wasn’t available in some cases to accept new applicants. Sign-ups were extended, and the open enrollment period ended in April instead.
As the GOP gears up for the midterm elections by renewing their attack on the Obama administration for the website’s flaws, a new report released earlier this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the number of uninsured Americans fell in the early months of this year. The figures depict a constant decline that began in 2010. Related: The term ‘Obamacare’ inspires ‘partisan reaction’ After the government worked out glitches in the online marketplace, and a new tech manager took over to deal with the troubled platform, Obamacare numbers have consistently met or surpassed goals. The president reached his target for enrollments by April when officials reported that more than 7 million people had signed up for Obamacare through federal exchanges. The website serves Americans shopping for health plans in the 36 states that did not create individual exchanges.
Michele Richinick Recommended
