Usually during the annual ACA Open Enrollment Period, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issue weekly "snapshot" reports of how enrollment is going via the federal ACA exchange (HealthCare.Gov).

This year they haven't been doing that for whatever reasons. However, on Friday they did issue a tease about how things are going:

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly 40% Increase in New Sign-Ups on HealthCare.Gov

Today, during his remarks on lowering costs for American families, President Biden announced that the number of new enrollees who have signed up for high-quality, affordable health insurance on HealthCare.Gov is up almost 40% compared to the same time last year.

...HHS will release the first formal report on Open Enrollment data next Tuesday, November 22.

District of Columbia

There's perhaps no other population center in the United States more Democratic-leaning than the heart of our nation's capital, the District of Columbia. In 2020, DC voted for President Biden by a whopping 88 points, giving him 93% of the vote. Every DC Mayor has been a Democrat since before DC even had a mayor (in 1967 DC's government was reorganized), and 11 of the District's 13 Councilmembers are Democrats...with the other two being listed as Independents.

You'd assume that DC's governing body would be a staunch supporter of both the letter and spirit of the Affordable Care Act, and for the most part you'd be correct.

And yet, somehow, in this liberal bastion, there's a decidedly anti-Patient Protection, anti-Affordable Care bill which has somehow managed to work its way into the Council's legislative proceedings.

CMS Logo

via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that the first improper payment rate for the Federally-facilitated Exchange (FFE) program was less than 1% for Benefit Year 2020, thanks in large part to the agency’s implementation of effective automated processes for the program’s eligibility determinations and payments. This finding highlights CMS’ commitment to being responsible stewards of public funds, and to ensuring the sustainability of its programs for future generations.

Improper payments are payments that do not meet CMS program requirements. These can be overpayments or underpayments, or payments where insufficient information was provided to determine whether a payment was proper. Most improper payments involve situations where a state or provider missed an administrative step. The vast majority of improper payments are not fraud, and improper payment estimates are not fraud rate estimates.

MNsure Logo

via MNsure, Minnesota's ACA exchange:

ROCHESTER, Minn.—Individuals and families in southeastern Minnesota are poised to save hundreds of dollars on monthly premiums next year when they purchase health coverage and take advantage of premium tax credits only available through MNsure. At a press conference in Rochester today, MNsure CEO Nate Clark shared the news that tax credits in southeastern Minnesota are going up by $120/month, on average, in 2023 for eligible households in the 10-county area including Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Steele, Wabasha and Winona counties.

On average, eligible households in southeastern Minnesota are projected to save $860/month, or about $10,320/year, thanks to the larger tax credits in 2023. In other words, eligible Minnesotans will pay about 10% less on premiums next year than they pay currently, and that can mean big savings for the small business owners, gig workers, farmers and other Minnesotans that MNsure serves.

Cover ME Logo

via CoverME.gov, Maine's new state-based ACA exchange:

Plan Selection Snapshot

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) will release biweekly updates on plan selections through CoverME.gov, Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.  

Plan selections provide a snapshot of activity by new and returning consumers who have selected a plan for 2023. “Plan selections” become “enrollments” once consumers have paid their first monthly premium to begin insurance. These numbers are subject to change as consumers may modify or cancel plans after their initial selection.   

The deadline to select a plan for coverage beginning January 1, 2023 is December 15, 2022. Consumers who select a plan after that date will have coverage beginning February 1, 2023. 

CoverME.gov Activity Through November 12th, 2022 

via the Health & Human Services Dept. (via email, no link yet):

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly 40% Increase in New Sign-Ups on HealthCare.Gov

Today, during his remarks on lowering costs for American families, President Biden announced that the number of new enrollees who have signed up for high-quality, affordable health insurance on HealthCare.Gov is up almost 40% compared to the same time last year. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra released the following statement on today’s Open Enrollment announcement:

“We are off to a strong start - and we will not rest until we can connect everyone possible to health care coverage this enrollment season. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action to expand access to health care, and ensure everyone can have the peace of mind that comes with being insured. With four out of five people eligible for coverage at $10 or less, do not miss your opportunity to sign up for high-quality, affordable health care. We urge everyone to visit HealthCare.gov and find the coverage that meets your needs.”

BeWellNM Logo

via BeWell NM, New Mexico's ACA exchange:

2023 Open Enrollment Report

This report provides a summary of information for week one of the beWellnm health insurance individual Marketplace Open Enrollment Period for plan year 2023 (OEP 2023). The report contains data from the beWellnm eligibility and enrollment platform for OEP 2023, and includes an overview of the following:

  • plan selections
  • new enrollees
  • enrollees renewing coverage
  • Customer Engagement Center call volumes
  • website traffic

Enrollment

This section contains enrollment data through November 5, 2022.

1. Total Plan Selections (net): Count of unique individuals who have selected a Plan Year (PY) 2023 Marketplace medical plan. Count includes all new and re-enrolling consumers (defined in Indicators 2 and 3), regardless of whether the consumer has paid the first month premium. Count does not include plans that were canceled or terminated.: 33,367

Access Health CT Logo

Via Access Health CT's News/Press Releases page:

Stats as of November 18, 2022

Qualified Health Plans (QHP):

  • QHP Enrollment In 2023 Coverage: 17,879
  • 2022 OE Acquisition Summary: 3,928

Medicaid:

  • Completed applications/redeterminations processed through the integrated eligibility system: 6,425

I've never been entirely sure what the "Acquisition Summary" figure refers to, but I've confirmed that it's already included in the larger number.

One minor note: For the past few years, Access Health CT has "front-loaded" their OEP enrollment reports...that is, they auto-renewed all existing enrollees up front, including them in their weekly enrollment numbers, and then reduced the total as current enrollees terminated their renewals. I'm not sure why they're going back to not including them.

Doesn't matte either way; the final enrollment total will be the same either way. Just interesting to a handful of data geeks like myself.

New York State of Health

via NY State of Health:

  • Enhanced Federal Subsidies Will Continue to Lower Monthly Premiums for New Yorkers to Lowest Levels in Recent Years
  • Certified Enrollment Assistors Available Across the State to Offer Free Enrollment Guidance, Plan Comparisons, and Cost Estimates

ALBANY, NY. (November 16, 2022) – NY State of Health, the State’s official health plan Marketplace, today announced the launch of the 2023 open enrollment period for New Yorkers seeking a consumer-oriented, one-stop shopping experience for public and commercial health insurance. Consumers can begin enrolling or renewing today, November 16, and have until December 15, 2022, to complete their enrollment into a quality, low-cost Qualified Health Plan (QHP), with coverage starting on January 1, 2023.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi w/Roses

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to hold the most powerful position in Congress, who has been the leader of House Democrats for 20 years, announced earlier today that she's stepping down from her leadership position as soon as the 118th Congress takes office on January 3rd, 2023.

Pelosi is a legend in the U.S. Congress, and no accomplishment more perfectly illustrates her skill than the passage of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act in 2009 - 2010.

As U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut put it in a Twitter thread a few minutes ago:

There's one night I will remember most when thinking about Nancy Pelosi - the night I watched her single handedly save health care for 20 million Americans. It was at the first Democratic caucus meeting after Scott Brown won the special Senate election in Massachusetts.

Many rank-and-file Democrats were in a panic, and they lined up at the microphone to tell Pelosi that it was time for us to give up on the Affordable Care Act. Or chop it up into little pieces - as some in the White House were suggesting.

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