The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports a nearly 50 percent increase in HealthCare.gov signups since President Biden took office and 3.6 million people signed up for marketplace coverage for the first time this year.
More than 16.3 million people have enrolled in an Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace health plan during the 2023 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period that ran from November 1, 2022, through January 15.
CMS announced that total plan selections included:
- 6 million people (22 percent of total) who are new to the marketplaces for 2023
- 7 million (78 percent of total) who had active 2022 coverage and made a plan selection for 2023 coverage or were automatically re-enrolled
- 8 million more people have signed up for health insurance, a 13 percent increase, from this time last year
“Unprecedented investments lead to unprecedented results,” said Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra in the announcement. “Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, more than 16 million Americans have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces–an all-time high. The Biden-Harris Administration has made lowering health care costs and expanding access to health insurance a top priority–and these record-breaking numbers show we are delivering results for the American people. We will keep doing everything we can to ensure more people have the peace of mind that comes with high-quality, affordable health care.”
Expanding access to health insurance and lowering health care costs is a top priority of the administration. The national uninsured rate reached an all-time low earlier this year and the 2023 marketplace open enrollment period saw the highest number of plan selections of any year since the launch of the ACA marketplaces 10 years ago.
CMS said that this year individuals benefited from a highly competitive marketplace. Ninety-two percent of HealthCare.gov enrollees had access to options from three or more insurance companies when they shopped for plans. Also, new standardized plan options were available in 2023 through HealthCare.gov, which helped consumers compare and select plans. In addition, under the Inflation Reduction Act, more people this year continued to qualify for help purchasing quality health coverage with expanded financial assistance, resulting in four out of five people returning to HealthCare.gov being able to find a plan for $10 or less after-tax credits.