The Affordable Care Act is working well, it’s about as popular as it’s ever been, and as of this week, enrollment data suggests the winning streak is far from over. Reuters reported:
More than 15.3 million Americans have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for 2024, a 33% increase from this time last year, according to data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Wednesday. The Biden-Harris Administration said preliminary data also projects that over 19 million people will enroll in 2024 through the ACA marketplace.
Note, the deadline for enrollment isn’t until Jan. 16, 2024.
For health care advocates, the data is encouraging on its own, and it reflects what’s possible when congressional Democrats lower premiums and an administration commits to covering as many Americans as possible.
But more so than at any point in recent years, there’s a political dimension to this that matters nearly as much. When the data from the Department of Health and Human Services was released, President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign issued a statement reminding the public about the stakes.
“Today’s announcement showing a record-breaking enrollment pace through the Affordable Care Act is historic and should be a moment of celebration of how far we’ve come thanks to President Biden and Democrats’ work to ensure access to quality, affordable health care for millions,” the press release read. “But looming in the shadows is the very real and dangerous threat of a second Donald Trump presidency ripping it all away.
“If Trump gets his way, tens of millions of Americans could lose their health care and drug prices and insurance premiums would skyrocket. His effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act could mean that insurance companies would no longer be forced to cover those with preexisting conditions like asthma or diabetes, young people could be kicked off of their parents’ health care, preventative care like cancer…
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