A week or so ago the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a semi-final 2025 ACA Open Enrollment Period report, which noted that 23.6 million Americans had selected 2025 plan year coverage via the various ACA marketplaces since November 1st...as of either January 4th or December 28th, depending on the state.
Those thru dates are important, of course, because the 2025 OEP was still ongoing in every state except Idaho at the time...and in fact it's still going on in several of them, including CA, DC, MA, NJ, NY, RI & VA. In some of these states the final deadline is still up to 2 weeks away.
The 2025 ACA Open Enrollment Period (OEP) officially begins on November 1st.
This is the best OEP ever for the ACA for several reasons:
The expanded/enhanced premium subsidies first introduced in 2021 via the American Rescue Plan, which make premiums more affordable for those who already qualified while expanding eligibility to millions who weren't previously eligible, are continuing through the end of 2025 via the Inflation Reduction Act;
A dozen states are either launching, continuing or expanding their own state-based subsidy programs to make ACA plans even more affordable for their enrollees;
Update 12/09/24: As expected, a federal court has shot down the eligibility of DACA recipients to enroll in ACA exchange coverage in the 19 states involved in the lawsuit. In theory the roughly 2/3 of DACA recipients living in the other 31 states +DC should still be eligible.
And remember, millions of people will be eligible for zero premium comprehensive major medical policies.
If you've never enrolled in an ACA healthcare policy before, or if you looked into it a few years back but weren't impressed, please give it another shot now. Thanks to these major improvements it's a whole different ballgame.
Here's some important things to know when you #GetCovered for 2025:
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 2025. “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, 2025 is December 15, 2024. Consumers who select a plan between December 16, 2024 and January 15, 2025 will have coverage beginning February 1, 2025.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California has announced a special-enrollment period for residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, where a state of emergency has been declared due to the Palisades and Eaton Fires that have destroyed over 12,000 homes and displaced hundreds of thousands of Californians.
“These fires have caused unprecedented destruction and have upended the lives of so many living in Southern California,” said Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman. “Everyone who is uninsured and has been affected by these fires, directly or indirectly, will have an extended opportunity to obtain health insurance through Covered California or Medi-Cal over the next two months.”
Californians have 60 days from the date that the state of emergency was declared in their county to sign up for coverage, so this special-enrollment period will last until March 8.
Other resources made available to Californians affected by the fires can be found here:
Number of People Who Have Ever Enrolled in ACA Marketplace Coverage, 2014-2024
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created Health Insurance Marketplaces in all states starting in 2014. Eligible partcipants can purchase individual health insurance plans in the ACA Marketplaces, and qualifying individuals can receive Premium Tax Credits (PTC) to help offset the cost of coverage. The PTC was expanded in both generosity and eligibility startng with the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, with these enhancements extended in the Inflaton Reducton Act in 2022. The ACA Marketplaces enable Americans to purchase comprehensive, affordable health insurance that they may not have access to through their employers or through programs such as Medicare or Medicaid, including when they experience brief or longer-term gaps in the availability of other coverage.
Not only is New Mexico's exchange enrollment up a whopping 28% vs. the same point last year, it's 20% higher than the 2024 OEP's final total of 56,472.
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 2025. “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, 2025 is December 15, 2024. Consumers who select a plan between December 16, 2024 and January 15, 2025 will have coverage beginning February 1, 2025.
A record 450,000+ Pennsylvanians have signed up for affordable, high-quality healthcare coverage through Pennie, the Commonwealth’s low-cost health insurance marketplace.
Philadelphia, PA – The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) and Pennie, Pennsylvania’s official health insurance marketplace, today jointly remind Pennsylvanians – especially those who do not have health coverage – to explore their options and enroll through Pennie before the January 15 Open Enrollment deadline. The Open Enrollment Period is the only time of year when Pennsylvanians can enroll in affordable, high-quality health plans for coverage in 2025.
Apply and select a health and/or dental plan by Jan. 15 for coverage beginning Feb. 1
Just one week left to secure individual health and dental insurance beginning Feb. 1. Customers who visit Washington Healthplanfinder by Jan. 15 can shop, compare and find more affordable coverage for 2025.
“Federal enhanced premium tax credits are still available to help reduce monthly costs through 2025 for many Washingtonians,” Washington Health Benefit Exchange CEO Ingrid Ulrey said. The Exchange runs Washington Healthplanfinder, the state’s online marketplace for Affordable Care Act coverage.
“Premium tax credits have been instrumental in helping a record number of Washingtonians sign up for insurance through Washington Healthplanfinder. Your health is our priority, and we don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to access tax credits that help you save on your monthly premiums”
The graph purported to break out "Obamacare applications by state for 2025" by states which voted for Donald Trump vs. those which voted for Kamala Harris in November 2024. Here's what it looked like:
As I noted at the time, this graph was technically accurate...while simultaneously being jaw-droppingly misleading, for several reasons, including:
