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With More Than Half a Million Plan Selections in the first 45 Days, ACA Enrollment Continues to Surge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2021
Contact: Juan Ramiro Sarmiento
(785) 760-6567 | juan.sarmiento@younginvincibles.org

With More Than Half a Million Plan Selections in the first 45 Days, ACA Enrollment Continues to Surge

(Washington, DC) – Today, the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) released new enrollment data for the current special enrollment period (SEP) that began on February 15 and has since been extended through August 15. As of March 31, 528,000 consumers have enrolled in health coverage through the federally-facilitated health insurance marketplace.

In response, Erin Hemlin, Health Policy and Advocacy Director for Young Invincibles issued the following statement.

“With more than half a million people signing up for coverage during the first 45 days of the newly created special enrollment period, Americans are proving what we’ve been advocating for throughout the pandemic – if you make it easier to sign up for health coverage, people will take advantage of it.

Today’s data release is especially encouraging given the increased enrollment among traditionally underrepresented groups. People at or near the federal poverty line – those who will be eligible for the largest tax credits, who can likely find a low-cost or no premium plan with significant cost-sharing, represent 41 percent of plan selections, and Black Americans represent 17 percent of enrollees, up from 11 percent in 2020. While age demographics were not included in today’s release, young adults disproportionately took advantage of open SEPs in 2020, and we are extremely encouraged by today’s numbers that young people are increasingly getting covered, and we are finally reversing course in insurance trends.

This is all even more impressive when considering the new subsidies under the American Rescue Plan had not gone into effect by the March 31 deadline. Given nearly 15 million current enrollees and uninsured Americans will now have access to even bigger tax credits, we expect enrollment to continue to surge.”

With nearly 15 million Americans who are either uninsured or current marketplace enrollees eligible for new enhanced subsidies under the ARP, it is imperative we continue to raise awareness and help connect people with enrollment assistance to ensure they can access these beneficial, yet complex options. The ACA’s Navigator program will be critical to ensuring the continued success of the SEP, and that everyone who needs insurance right now can find expert help to ensure they can calculate their income, pick the right plan for them, and receive the maximum financial assistance they qualify for. We are encouraged by the administration’s commitment to increasing Navigator funding during the SEP, and look forward to continuing working with both the administration and Navigators to help all young people find the help they need.

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