More than 3 million Americans signed up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s state and federal marketplaces as of Feb. 1, according to the latest official enrollment figures from the Health & Human Services department.
Of the approximately 3.3 million individuals who have enrolled since the online marketplaces launched on Oct. 1, 2013, 1.1 million enrolled in the month of January alone.
Federal officials said the enrollment trends to date are encouraging, especially the interest from young adults, the group most sought after by health insurers.
Kathleen Sebelius
Overall, about 25% of the 3.3 million enrollees are young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 years. Enrollment from that group grew the fastest of all ages in January, according to the Health & Human Services department.
"The covered population is getting younger," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said during a Feb. 12 press briefing.
While federal officials cheered the enrollment by younger Americans, they declined to set a goal for how many young adults they want to enroll by the time the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment closes on March 31.
More women continue to enroll in the marketplaces than men – 55% vs. 45% as of Feb. 1; similar trends were seen in the first 3 months of open enrollment.
Silver plans continue to the most popular types of health plans in the state and federal marketplaces, with 62% of enrollees choosing them. Bronze plans, selected by 19%, were the second most popular choice. Only 1% of enrollees selected catastrophic plans; most of those were young adults, according to HHS.
Most individuals who enrolled in private health plans through the marketplaces also qualified for federal subsidies. Through the first 4 months of enrollment, 82% of people who selected health plans also received financial assistance for their premium, according to the HHS data.
mschneider@frontlinemedcom.com
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