Healthcare Marketplace Notes Another Historic Year of National Enrollment

By Dennis Archambault

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced that 21.3 million people selected an Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace plan during the 2024 Open Enrollment Period. That’s another historic milestone for the Affordable Care Act, which was established in 2010 under President Barak Obama to help ensure access to health insurance coverage for most Americans. Total plan selections include more than five million people — about a fourth — who are new to the Marketplaces and 16 million people who renewed their coverage, according to CMS.

“These historic enrollment numbers are a testament to the need for comprehensive, quality, affordable health insurance, and we must do everything we can to protect and expand access to coverage for all people,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure.

Proponents of the ACA worked hard to establish the law, which has faced opposition from the day the legislation was signed. In the past three years, the Biden Administration bolstered promotion of the ACA during open enrollment periods, something that has been underfunded previously. This enables more people to know about the opportunity and encourage them to enroll. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the American Rescue Plan continue to keep Healthcare Marketplace coverage affordable. As a result of the IRA, four in five HealthCare.gov customers were able to find health care coverage for $10 or less per month for plan year 2024 after subsidies. Additional funds were made available to hire more health care navigators to work at the community level to help people enroll.

Authority Health is a certified federal Healthcare Marketplace enrollment source. For more information our navigation services, contact Tamika Withers, Medicaid Finance Manager, at TWithers@AuthorityHealth.org.

For a complete report on this year’s Healthcare Marketplace performance, go to: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/marketplace-2024-open-enrollment-period-report-final-national-snapshot

Dennis Archambault is vice president of Public Affairs for Authority Health