WASHINGTON – Still facing political jeopardy, President Barack Obama’s health care law beat expectations by earning solid sign-ups this year, according to figures released Thursday by the administration.
About 12.7 million people signed up for individual private insurance policies or renewed their coverage for 2016, said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. That means Republicans running in this year’s elections may find it harder to deliver on their promise of repeal, while Democrats may yet be able to tap the newly insured as a voting constituency.
“It’s not the unequivocal success that Obamacare advocates had hoped for, but also not the disaster that critics thought could make it a talking point on the campaign trail,” Larry Levitt, of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, said.
Expectations were low at the start of open enrollment on Nov. 1. Premiums have been going up, and many of the remaining uninsured are considered skeptics.
The 12.7 million number falls right in the middle of the administration’s projection of 11 million to 14 million initial enrollments through HealthCare.gov and state-run counterparts. The administration says this year’s numbers are more accurate because early cancellations have been winnowed out.