The Biden administration announced Wednesday that nearly 1 million new customers have enrolled in coverage through the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) exchanges during open enrollment.
The sign-up period officially kicked off Nov. 1. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said that close to 988,000 people who did not previously have coverage in a marketplace plan have secured it over the past month.
The CMS also said 4.4 million people have returned to a marketplace plan for 2025, putting the exchanges on pace to set another record in enrollment. For the 2024 plan year, the CMS tallied a record 21.4 million sign-ups on HealthCare.gov.
"ACA marketplace open enrollment continues with more than 5.3 million people signing up for coverage since the beginning of the open enrollment period," CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in an announcement. "These numbers reflect the strong and ongoing demand that individuals and families have for affordable, high-quality healthcare coverage and we expect this year will set another plan selection record."
The enrollment period continues through Jan. 15. Those who sign up before midnight on Dec. 15 will have coverage beginning in January, the CMS said.
The agency noted that many people were eligible for premium tax credits for 2025 thanks to enhanced subsidies extended under the Inflation Reduction Act. Most (80%) of enrollees can secure plans for $10 or less in premiums per month, the CMS said.
The enhanced subsidies are set to expire after 2025, and the fate of those tax credits will be one of the political topics to watch under the incoming Trump administration.
“Through the Marketplace millions of Americans seeking health coverage continue to find a high-quality plan at a low cost,” said Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in the press release.