Republican critics of the Affordable Care Act have long described it as a house of cards on the verge of collapse. And they continue to be wrong. A record number of people have signed up for health insurance for 2017 on the federal exchanges created by the 2010 law.
Nearly 6.4 million people had signed up for coverage as of Monday, which is about 400,000 more than at a similar point last year. Among them were two million people who did not participate in 2016, some of whom might have previously been covered through an employer. The number of enrollees does not include many millions of people whose policies will be automatically renewed or who live in states like California, Minnesota and New York that have their own marketplaces.
By the time open enrollment ends early next year, the Department of Health and Human Services estimates 13.8 million people will have signed up nationwide. The percentage of Americans without insurance is steadily declining, hitting a record low of 9.1 percent in 2015, the most recent year reported.
If President-elect Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress carry out their promise to repeal the law, they will be taking away health insurance from millions of people — the A.C.A. also expanded Medicaid to cover about 14 million more low-income and poor people.
When the Obama administration announced in October that premiums would rise by 25 percent on average for midlevel plans on the federal exchanges, Republicans predicted that this would doom the system. They ignored the fact that most people would not have to pay more because federal subsidies would rise to account for the higher premiums charged by private insurers. About 77 percent of people eligible for the coverage on the exchanges can find policies for $100 a month or less.
Nearly 6.4 million people had signed up for coverage as of Monday, which is about 400,000 more than at a similar point last year. Among them were two million people who did not participate in 2016, some of whom might have previously been covered through an employer. The number of enrollees does not include many millions of people whose policies will be automatically renewed or who live in states like California, Minnesota and New York that have their own marketplaces.
By the time open enrollment ends early next year, the Department of Health and Human Services estimates 13.8 million people will have signed up nationwide. The percentage of Americans without insurance is steadily declining, hitting a record low of 9.1 percent in 2015, the most recent year reported.
If President-elect Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress carry out their promise to repeal the law, they will be taking away health insurance from millions of people — the A.C.A. also expanded Medicaid to cover about 14 million more low-income and poor people.
When the Obama administration announced in October that premiums would rise by 25 percent on average for midlevel plans on the federal exchanges, Republicans predicted that this would doom the system. They ignored the fact that most people would not have to pay more because federal subsidies would rise to account for the higher premiums charged by private insurers. About 77 percent of people eligible for the coverage on the exchanges can find policies for $100 a month or less.
Treating the Affordable Care Act as a punching bag during a political campaign is one thing. But it is quite another to destroy a law that is helping so many people.
