More than 1.6 million people have selected a health plan through HealthCare.gov in the opening three weeks, according to the latest federal data released Wednesday. But newcomers still represent a minority of those signups.
Almost two-thirds of those plan selections are previous enrollees returning to the exchange site to renew their health plan or choose a new one altogether. That breakdown mirrors what has been seen in the first two weeks as well.
The pace of enrollment and coverage renewal is surpassing last year open-enrollment period. After the first three weeks of 2014's enrollment window, not quite 1.4 million people had selected a health plan. However, the beginning of last year's open enrollment fell during the Thanksgiving holiday. Last year's data also account for 37 states that used HealthCare.gov, compared with 38 states that are using it this year.
“We continue to see demand for the quality, affordable health coverage available through the marketplace,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said in a news release. She also encouraged families to talk about health insurance coverage at their Thanksgiving festivities.
HHS predicts 11 million people will have coverage by the end of 2016, a modest goal compared with previous administration projections and Congressional Budget Office figures. It's expected that people will automatically renew or sign up for 2016 coverage at the last minute. The deadline for consumers to enroll in a health plan that would cover them effective on Jan. 1 is Dec. 15. Open enrollment ends Jan. 31.
If the federal and state exchanges continue to attract sicker patients and don't balance out the risk pool with younger, healthier people, it could create problems for the Obama administration. UnitedHealth Group, the nation's largest insurer, said it will consider exiting the Affordable Care Act's exchanges by 2017 if it continues to suffer losses. Other insurers have signaled a willingness to be patient with the young marketplaces.
