A record 21.3 million Americans flocked to Affordable Care Act coverage for 2024, further cementing the law’s place in the nation’s health care landscape.

Nearly 5 million more people signed up for Obamacare policies for this year compared with last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, said Wednesday. Notably, about a quarter of people selecting plans were new consumers.

The explosion in interest in Obamacare policies would make it harder for Trump to dismantle the health reform law, as he and congressional Republicans unsuccessfully tried to do after he took office in 2017. Only about 12.2 million people signed up for Affordable Care Act coverage during that open enrollment period. (Consumers are not considered enrolled until they pay their first month’s premium.)

One thing that may be contributing to the increase in Obamacare enrollment is the tidal wave of low-income Americans who are losing Medicaid coverage. States were allowed to start terminating the coverage of residents they deemed ineligible last April after a Covid-19 pandemic relief provision expired. Nearly 15.8 million people have been disenrolled so far, according to KFF, formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Navigators at Florida Covering Kids & Families have been reaching out to those who have lost their Medicaid coverage by phone and email to see if they are interested in signing up for Affordable Care Act policies. Low-income enrollees are eligible for federal subsidies that greatly reduce their premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

  • @djsoren19
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    2310 months ago

    “It would be politically very, very risky to tell all those people that you are going to take away the source of affordable coverage that they’re depending on,”

    Well, it would be, if any of them would understand it and stop blindly voting for Republicans that only want to enact laws that harm them. It’s more likely that they will cheer while their benefits are cut, content in their minds that more “undesirables” are being hurt than they are.

    • Semi-Hemi-Demigod
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      210 months ago

      If someone told me they were going to get rid of my health insurance company I’d probably give them a hug.

    • Pickle Jr
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      110 months ago

      Here in Kansas, Republicans are cheering for higher taxes (going from a tiered to a flat tax scheme) all because our Blue governor is against it.