ACA Enrollment Up 17% Compared to Last Year

New customers are flocking to Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace health plans in the early stages of the open enrollment period.

Nearly 3.4 million Americans have chosen an ACA Marketplace plan through the first three weeks of the OEP, the Biden administration announced.

The total number of enrollees represents a 17% increase over last year, with HealthCare.gov experiencing 40% more sign-ups compared to 2021.

"We are off to a strong start – and we will not rest until we can connect everyone possible to health care coverage this enrollment season," said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. "The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action to expand access to health care, and ensure everyone can have the peace of mind that comes with being insured."

Becerra also highlighted that every four out of five people are eligible for coverage at $10 or less and potential enrollees can explore affordable plans at HealthCare.gov.

The website had 493,216 new enrollees, compared to 354,137 on the same date last year.

Meanwhile, total Marketplace plan selections include 655,000 people (19%) new enrollees and 2.7 million people (81%) who renewed or chose a new plan for 2023.

The early numbers are encouraging for the administration as the OEP continues to run until January 15, 2023.

"Providing quality, affordable health care options remains a top priority," said CMS administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. "The numbers prove that our focus is in the right place. In the first weeks of Open Enrollment, we have seen an increase in plan selections and a significant increase in the number of new enrollees over the previous year."

Earlier this year, on its 12th anniversary, ACA enrollment hit a record-high of 14.5 million people signing up, a 21% increase from the previous year.

The administration is prioritizing ACA growth and the results in 2022 are indicative of that.