The Biden administration announced Wednesday that the number of people enrolled into the Affordable Care Act Marketplace has hit a record of 21.3 million people. The new enrollment figures represent a 30% increase compared to just the year before.
It’s a milestone for the program, which over the last decade has offered health insurance coverage to those who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but don’t have access to affordable health insurance through their employer.
Residents of most states enroll through HealthCare.gov, but 18 states operate their own platform for people to seek coverage through the ACA. Through Healthcare.gov, 398,814 Illinoisans signed up for 2024 coverage.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has credited the boost in enrollment to more affordable premiums and an aggressive campaign to get people signed up in the coverage.
“It’s no accident,” President Joe Biden said Wednesday in a statement announcing the new enrollment figures. “My actions to protect the Affordable Care Act and lower premiums continue to make a big difference.”
But many people have been forced to turn to the marketplace for coverage after being booted from Medicaid in recent months. More than 15 million people have been purged from Medicaid since April, when the federal government ended a 3-year ban that prohibited states from removing ineligible people off Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those who are removed from Medicaid will be eligible to enroll through the Affordable Care Act through July.