Despite Donald Trump’s efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, a record-breaking number of Americans enrolled in Obamacare insurance plans in in the early days of open enrollment, a new report indicates.
According to The Hill, twice as many people signed up for Obamacare plans this year than last year during the same time period.
More from the report:
On the first day of enrollment alone, Nov. 1, one source close to the process told The Hill that more than 200,000 people selected a plan for 2018, compared with about 100,000 last year. More than 1 million people visited healthcare.gov that day, compared to about 750,000 last year, the source said.
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On the first day of enrollment alone, Nov. 1, one source close to the process told The Hill that more than 200,000 people selected a plan for 2018, compared with about 100,000 last year. More than 1 million people visited healthcare.gov that day, compared to about 750,000 last year, the source said.
The surge in signups is good news for anybody who believes more Americans should have access to affordable health insurance, but it’s not-so-good news for Trump and his Republican allies in Congress, who have been actively working to undermine the law, particularly in recent months.
From cutting off CSR payments to reducing the enrollment period to slashing Obamacare advertising, the president has left no stone unturned when it comes to undermining a law that millions of Americans rely on.
As The Hill noted, Standard and Poor’s forecast released last week predicts that due to the uncertainty caused by the administration’s actions, 1.6 million fewer people will enroll in health plans this year than last.
Despite the dire predictions and widespread concern among Democrats and health care advocates, it appears that Trump’s effort to keep people from getting health insurance is failing miserably – but it still remains to be seen what the long-term effects of his sabotage will be.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
