The first two weeks of the special enrollment saw an especially enthusiastic response from consumers in states that are hostile to the Affordable Care Act.
More than 200,000 people signed up for health insurance during the first two weeks of the 2021 Marketplace Special Enrollment Period, with more than 75% of them living in states that are still fighting to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, numbers released Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show.
Overall, the federal marketplace enrolled 206,000 people between February 15 and February 28 from 36 states that rely on the Marketplace, 155,879 of whom live in the 18 states that are challenging the constitutionality of the ACA before the U.S. Supreme Court in California v. Texas.
Texas – the lead plaintiff in the fight to nullify the ACA -- and Florida accounted for nearly half of the newly insured, with Florida enrolling 61,737 people and Texas enrolling 34,682 people.
Georgia accounted for another 16,636 people, while South Carolina added 6,104, and Tennessee added 5,623 people.
CMS said the first two weeks of the SEP saw an increase from 76,000 and 60,000 people signing up for health insurance during the same period in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Under normal circumstances, SEPs are available only for qualifying life events. However, President Joseph R. Biden opened an SEP this year as part of his administration's response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
John Commins is the news editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The federal marketplace enrolled 206,000 people between February 15 and February 28, 155,879 of whom lived in the 18 states that are challenging the constitutionality of the ACA.
Texas – the lead plaintiff in the fight to nullify the ACA -- and Florida accounted for nearly half of the newly insured, with Florida enrolling 61,737 people and Texas enrolling 34,682 people.
Georgia accounted for another 16,636 people, while South Carolina added 6,104, and Tennessee added 5,623 people.