Obama: Fight ACA naysayers with strong enrollment push

With the start of the 2017 open enrollment period just days away, President Barack Obama is urging Affordable Care Act supporters and volunteers to step up their efforts to reach the uninsured--and combat the negative attention surrounding the exchanges.

Premiums for the benchmark ACA silver plan will rise an average of 22 percent among states using the Healthcare.gov exchange and state exchanges that reported data. While that is a considerable uptick from the 7.5 percent increase the previous year, the Obama administration has noted that subsidies--and the number of people eligible for them--rise with premiums, cushioning the blow for most consumers.

And as federal health officials have said in years past, shopping around for cheaper plans pays off, Obama said during a call Thursday with ACA backers and volunteers.

“If we are able to get people to actually check out their options for themselves at Healthcare.gov, they will find out that despite some of the headlines that don’t always explain the fact that premiums going up don’t necessarily translate into higher premiums for people who are getting tax credits--if they can just see that for themselves, then they will exercise that option,” Obama said.

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that ACA marketplace enrollment will reach 13.8 million by the end of the annual sign-up period, a 9 percent increase compared to the end of 2016 open enrollment. HHS predicts that effectuated enrollment will average 11.4 million people over the course of 2017.

To achieve that goal, the administration said it will focus outreach efforts in 15 target markets where there is a strong opportunity for meaningful enrollment increases. Together, those metro areas include more than 3 million marketplace-eligible uninsured Americans. The outreach efforts in those areas will involve working with local entities such as colleges, fraternities, city governments and private companies, the announcement notes.

In another campaign, the administration has targeted young adults--a demographic sorely needed to balance the risk pool on the exchanges. Strategies include optimizing millennials’ exchange shopping experience, hosting consumer engagement summits and initiating tech-savvy messaging campaigns.

The stakes may be higher than ever going into this year’s open enrollment period. The fourth open enrollment period is Obama’s last as president and comes amid insurer dropouts and renewed political rhetoric attacking the healthcare law. The president acknowledged as much during Thursday’s call, but insisted outreach can turn the tide.

“We're at a critical time where we have to show that this program works for people if they just see what their options are,” he said.