Maryland: ACA enrollment up "about 2%" year over year...sort of, maybe?

The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange hasn't released any press releases since Oct. 31st, so the only official 2025 Open Enrollment Period (OEP) data I have for the state is from this snapshot report issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) back on Dec. 4th, which placed Maryland enrollment at just 30,270 people as of Nov. 23rd...plus another 185,438 current enrollees who were categorized as having been automatically re-enrolled, for a total of 215,708 QHP selections as of early December.

By comparison, by the end of the 2024 OEP, Maryland reported a total of 213,895 QHP selections, so it certainly looks like the Old Line State is running ahead of last year.

With that in mind, this article from WTOP News sounds about right, although the exact phrasing of some of the numbers make it a little confusing:

Md. officials optimistic rise in health insurance coverage will continue in open enrollment

Enrollment in the state’s health insurance marketplace has already risen during the current open enrollment period, and state officials are optimistic those numbers will increase before enrollment closes this month. Or next.

...Eberle said that over the past year, more than 217,000 Marylanders have bought private health care plans through Maryland Health Connection, the state’s health insurance marketplace. That’s up about 2% over the same period last year, meaning more people are using the marketplace to get coverage.

...As of November, 217,070 Marylanders had purchased a private health plan through the exchange.

It took me a moment to interpret this, since "as of November" could mean "2025 Open Enrollment Period QHP selections as of Nov. 30th". However, "over the past year" makes it sound as though the 217K figure refers to effectuated enrollees in November...which, as it happens, appears to be correct, judging by the November monthly enrollment report:

Enrollments in Maryland Health Connection continue to hold fast. November had the second-highest monthly enrollments of the year (after August): 217,070. That was 15% higher than the 188,731 individuals enrolled in the prior November.

It also had the second-highest monthly cancellations (after February): 8,376. That was 53% higher than the 5,460 individual cancellations in the prior November.

On the other hand, the "15% higher" in the report is a lot higher than the "up about 2%" comment in the WTOP article. 217,070 is 1.5% higher than last year's final total of 213,895, so perhaps that's where the 2% comes from?

In any event, the article also notes that 100,000 Marylanders who lost Medicaid coverage via the Unwinding process were pointed towards the ACA exchange instead, and that around 210 DACA recipients have signed up for 2025 coverage so far out of perhaps 7,000 who are potentially eligible.

State lawmakers this year passed a law that would let other undocumented residents buy private health care plans through the exchange, pending federal waiver approval. But state health officials and immigrant advocates say that the incoming Trump administration could disrupt those plans.

Yeah, I don't see that federal waiver being approved by the Trump administration, and even if it is my guess is most undocumented immigrants aren't gonna be in a big hurry to sign up even though the MD exchange doesn't share personal enrollee information with the federal goverment.