ICYMI: Building on Our Current System Has Led to Historic Coverage Gains
WASHINGTON – We continue to see more historic coverage gains during the 2023 Open Enrollment Period (OEP) in coverage across our health care system. Recent data on enrollment from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that building on what’s working in health care is the most effective way to expand coverage to affordable, high-quality health care coverage.
- “Nearly 3.4 million people nationwide have selected an Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace health plan since the start of the 2023 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period (OEP) on November 1.” (Department of Health and Human Services, 11/22/22)
- There are 655,000 people who are new to the exchanges that picked a plan already, making up 19% of the total plan sign-ups so far. CMS added that 2.7 million people who already have 2022 coverage renewed or selected a new plan for 2023. (Fierce Healthcare, 11/23/22)
- There is notable growth on HealthCare.gov, which has seen 493,216 new enrollees compared to 354,137 for the same time period last year. (Fierce Healthcare, 11/23/22)
As recent data and analysis shows, building on our current system has made coverage more affordable than ever for more Americans:
- “Four out of five people will be able to find a plan for $10 or less after-tax credits,” according to CMS. (Fierce Healthcare, 11/23/22)
- “Enhanced subsidies could shield the vast majority of individual market enrollees from increases, even those with higher incomes.” (Kaiser Family Foundation, 10/17/22)
- The recent fix for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ‘family glitch’ will allow 1 million Americans to gain access to affordable, high-quality health care coverage. (Axios Vitals, 10/12/22)
As the evidence shows, instead of starting from scratch with unaffordable, new government-controlled health insurance systems, policymakers should continue to focus on solutions that build on and improve what’s working in health care.
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