President Joseph R. Biden announced that a record number of Americans were enrolled in health insurance on the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).1
The 2023 open enrollment period for ACA insurance attracted nearly 16.4 million people who selected or were automatically re-enrolled for health insurance through HealthCare.gov marketplaces and state-based marketplaces. Enrollments in 2023 increased by 1.8 million people (13%) from 2022, and they increased by nearly 4.4 million people (36%) from 2021, according to figures from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).1
“As we celebrate the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act today, we have even more evidence that this law lives up to its name, providing Americans with a way to access quality, affordable health coverage.” , HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. .1 “Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, more than 16 million Americans have health insurance through Affordable Care Act marketplaces, an all-time high. We will continue to do everything we can to give more people peace of mind through high-quality healthcare.
Becerra and U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure highlighted the results of the ACA as well as the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), federal legislation containing health care provisions, among other measures used by the White House to counter the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the HHS statement, national estimates show that individuals save an average of more than $800 a year on insurance premiums through ARP and IRA subsidies.1 Nationally, 4, 6 million more people receive financial assistance in 2023 than in 2021. In the health insurance market, 92% of HealthCare.gov enrollees had access to plans from at least 3 insurance companies.1
Between the ACA markets and the Medicaid expansion, 40.2 million people were enrolled in coverage, the highest total ever based on enrollment data from 2022 and early 2023. The number was a 9.3 million increase from 2021 and 27.6 million – more than triple the number – more than those enrolled in 2014, according to the HHS announcement.1
On the same day, the White House released 51 state and territory fact sheets to spell out the “Devastating Consequences of MAGA House’s Republican Plans on Gut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.” 2 This was a reference to the “Make America Great Again” slogan used by Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald J. Trump.
The fact sheets show that “proposals brought back by Congressional Republicans will increase health care premiums and costs, threaten health care for Americans with pre-existing health conditions, reduce protections against catastrophic medical bills and increase waiting lists for quality care for older people and people with disabilities.” the statement noted.2
For example, in Alabama, repealing the ACA and gutting Medicaid would result in insurance premium increases of $8,100 on average for 245,000 people, according to the fact sheet. As many as 342,000 Alabama residents would lose protection against catastrophic medical bills, and 258,000 people with ACA market coverage for 2023 could lose it, according to the fact sheet.2
Learn more at https://bit.ly/3EZgyBc.
The references
1. Biden-Harris administration celebrates 13th anniversary of Affordable Care Act and highlights record coverage. HHS. Accessed March 31, 2023. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/03/23/biden-harris-administration-celebrates-affordable-care-acts-13th-anniversary-highlights-record-breaking- cover.html
2. State Fact Sheets: The White House lays out the devastating consequences of Republican MAGA House plans to dump Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in state-by-state fact sheets. WhiteHouse.gov. Accessed March 31, 2023. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/23/state-fact-sheets-white-house-lays-out-devastating-consequences-of- maga-house-republican-plans-to-gut-medicaid-and-the-affordable-care-act-in-state-by-state-fact-sheets/
