On December 20th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that over 19 million people have enrolled in an Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance plan for the 2024 plan year. This record enrollment number is higher than the 16.3 million enrollments from 2023.
With almost a month remaining in the open enrollment period, this total could rise, although at an expected slower pace. While the open enrollment period is open until January 16th, 2024, December 15th, 2023, was the deadline to enroll in coverage that begins on January 1, 2024.
Of this total, 15.3 million people enrolled using the federal health insurance exchange, healthcare.gov. The remaining enrollees did so by using a state-administered exchange.
According to CMS, more than 90% of healthcare.gov enrollees will be able to choose from three or more plans.
Total ACA enrollments could further increase as states continue to “unwind” their Medicaid programs from a COVID-19 policy that prohibited states from removing beneficiaries from Medicaid enrollment. States are now revalidating Medicaid eligibility for every Medicaid beneficiary in the state. This revalidation will likely find many people are no longer eligible for Medicaid. However, many of these people will be eligible for subsidized ACA plans.
ADVOCATE will share additional information with clients and friends as it becomes available on this and other Federal Health Policies.
Kirk Reinitz, President