The Biden administration announced Thursday that some 940,000 people have signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act since February.
The latest tally showed a surge in sign-ups of about 470,000 people in the month of April alone; new subsidies and stimulus began April 1, Axios noted.
Since April 1, premiums have dropped an average of more than 40%, from $100 to $57, for almost 2 million enrollees, according to the Health and Human Services Department.
The special enrollment period, which began Feb. 15, has been extended until Aug. 15 due to the pandemic — and that means the number could rise more.
Around 2 million Americans who were already enrolled in Obamacare coverage have returned to the marketplace to take advantage of new subsidies, according to the department — a fraction of those eligible for new discounts, The New York Times reported.
Biden administration officials have opted against an automatic update of subsidies in favor of trying to encourage people to come back and request them individually, the Times has reported.
Regular enrollment, which occurred in the fall, saw a separate 8.2 million Americans sign up for Obamacare, The Hill noted.
The statistics count only the enrollees in the 36 states that use the federal healthcare.gov, leaving out those who signed up through the 14 other state systems.
“Across America there is a need and demand for high-quality, low-cost health insurance,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement, The Hill reported.
“That’s why we are doing all we can to reach people who need coverage.”
“A few moments of your time are all that it takes for you to save your family money, get better care, and have peace of mind,” he added.
The special enrollment period was implemented under President Joe Biden after the Trump administration didn’t launch an extra sign-up period, reasoning that those who lost employment health coverage were already eligible to sign up.
About 4 million people who are uninsured can qualify for plans that will cost them no premium, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation; the government subsidy would cover the entire monthly cost, the Times noted.
Another group higher up the income scale also qualifies for financial assistance for the first time, with some families to be eligible for discounts of more than $1,000 a month, the Times has reported.
Under the stimulus bill, the new subsidies will last until the end of 2022.
Source: Newmax
