More than 2 million people have signed up for coverage on the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) exchanges under the pandemic special enrollment period, the Biden administration announced.
Since the launch of the SEP on Feb. 15, 1.5 million people have enrolled in coverage using HealthCare.gov and 600,000 have enrolled used a state-based exchange, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said Wednesday.
Since April, 1.2 million people have selected a plan with a premium of $10 or less, the agency said. This is thanks to temporarily enhanced subsidies for exchange plans that were included in the American Rescue Plan, which President Joe Biden is aiming to make permanent.
“Let’s be clear—the monthly Marketplace numbers show that across the country, there’s a demand for high-quality, low-cost health coverage. And month after month, we are reminded that the Biden-Harris Administration is fulfilling its promise to deliver access to quality, affordable health coverage by strengthening the Affordable Care Act and pushing its Build Back Better Agenda,” said Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement.
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“Whether through expanded Medicaid or the Health Insurance Marketplace, the ACA is working for millions of Americans—and we’re committed to building on this historic progress," Becerra said.
The special enrollment period continues through Aug. 15.
Alongside data on ACA exchange enrollment, CMS released its latest look at enrollment in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) under the pandemic. Membership in the programs has reached a record high of 81 million, CMS said.
Between January and February, an additional 500,000 people enrolled. Since February 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 10.4 million people have signed up for Medicaid or CHIP, an increase of 14.7%.