‘Over 6 million’ and counting

It seems like ages ago, but it was early November when the first figures
on Affordable Care Act enrollment were released – and they weren’t good.
In October, the first month of the open-enrollment period, just 106,185
consumers signed up for health insurance through an exchange, far short
of projections, and enough to cause Republicans to point, laugh, and
mock, noting a variety of sports venues that hold more than 106,185
attendees.

Seven weeks later, conservatives no longer appear to be smiling.

We talked yesterday about December’s preliminary enrollment numbers: 1.1
million consumers who signed up for health care coverage through the
federal exchange marketplace. But that total didn’t include state-based
exchanges or Medicaid coverage. Today, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services’ Marilyn Tavenner released some additional details.

The most recent data indicate that more than 2.1 million people
have enrolled in a private health insurance plan through the Federal and
State-based Marketplaces since October 1.

Additionally, 3.9 million Americans learned they’re eligible for
coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program
(CHIP) in October and November. These numbers include new eligibility
determinations and some Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

We are encouraged that over 6 million people have been enrolled in
Marketplace or Medicaid coverage since October 1, and will work to give
millions more Americans the peace of mind that comes with health
security in the months ahead.

That’s 6 million U.S. consumers in three months, and for two of those
months, as you may have heard once or twice, healthcare.gov wasn’t
working especially well.

I have a strong hunch we won’t see a bunch of tweets from GOP lawmakers
this afternoon, highlighting stadiums with 6 million seats.

What’s more, these totals don’t include Americans who gained coverage
through the Affordable Care Act’s policy that allows young adults to
stay on their family’s plan until they turn 26.

In terms of the policy implications, enrollment totals at these levels
reinforce the sustainability of the exchange marketplaces. In terms of
the political implications, if Republicans think they can spend the next
10 months vowing to take health care benefits away from these millions
of consumers, they may want to check with their pollsters about the
viability of their message.

Oh, and the right-wing campaign intended to convince the uninsured to
stay that way on purpose, just to satisfy the wishes of wealthy
conservatives with an ideological axe to grind? Yeah, that doesn’t
appear to be working, either.

http://tinyurl.com/k5n6avl

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Religion: together we can find the cure.