24 million people get Affordable Care Act insurance. It’s the last week to sign up : Shots

Nearly 24 million Americans have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, but there’s still a week left to sign up for open enrollment.

“We have once again set an all-time record for enrollment in the marketplace,” Neera Tanden, President Biden’s domestic policy adviser, said at a news conference Tuesday. “In fact, every year since the Biden-Harris administration, we have set new records for enrollment in the ACA Marketplace.”

That 24 million is, double the number The percentage of people who signed up when President Biden took office four years ago, Tanden said, is 20% compared to 2020 after years of turmoil over the Affordable Care Act during the first Trump administration. With new investment, the company pivoted and enrollment numbers skyrocketed.

“More than 300 million Americans currently have health insurance coverage. This is a record number,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters at the same news conference. According to Latest report According to the U.S. Census, 92% of Americans have health insurance.

Registration for insurance starting February 1st will be accepted until January 15th (all states except Idaho).

Although most Americans obtain insurance through work or through public programs such as Medicaid or Medicare, ACA health insurance still has a significant impact on the overall proportion of the insured population. In recent years, the number of uninsured Americans has declined dramatically as market enrollment has set records.

This is probably the highest standard for enrolling in these health plans. When President-elect Trump takes office, he could weaken the law again by not fully funding it, as he did during his first term. Repealing and replacing the ACA was not one of President Trump’s campaign promises, but he said during the debate that he has a “conceptual plan” to replace the 14-year-old health law.

Biden administration officials who spoke at the news conference also called for policy changes such as additional federal subsidies to make insurance much more affordable, streamlining the enrollment process, and significant investments in advertising and one-on-one enrollment helpers. As a result, the number of registrants has increased rapidly.

This year, for many people, insurance premiums are Less than $10 per monthyou can choose from a variety of plan options.

The additional federal aid will expire at the end of 2025 unless lawmakers vote to extend or make it permanent. Republicans hold majorities in both houses of Congress, but have historically not supported the Affordable Care Act, much less Biden’s COVID-19 law, which created additional subsidies. There wasn’t.

Republican Study Committee 2025 budget The researchers say the subsidies “only perpetuate a never-ending cycle of premium increases and federal bailouts, and taxpayers are forced to foot the bill.”

next chair Senate aid Committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana; last year They called on Congress to reject the extension, saying it “covers up the unsustainable rise in prices of Obamacare.” Still, the number of newly insured people is especially high In Republican-led states. Recently, at least one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said to northern journal She said she supports extending the subsidy.

If lawmakers allow these subsidies to expire, Tanden said, “the consequences would be catastrophic.” “Premiums for retired couples could increase by $18,000 a year, and experts estimate that 3 million to 5 million people will be left uninsured.”

Tanden said she expects the final number of registrants to be even higher, as registration will be open for about another week.