WASHINGTON (AP) – More than 200,000 people signed up for coverage in the first two weeks after President Joe Biden re-opened HealthCare.gov as part of his coronavirus response, the government said Wednesday.
The solid start to the three-month special enrollment period indicates a pent-up demand for health insurance as the COVID-19 pandemic approaches the one-year mark and many people remain unemployed or unable to work as many hours as they did before the outbreak.
HealthCare.gov offers subsidized private health insurance under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, catering mainly to low- and moderate-income working people.
If Congress passes Biden’s coronavirus response bill, taxpayer-funded financial aid will become considerably more generous, and a greater number of solid middle-class households would also qualify for assistance. Though the sweetened subsidies only last through the end of next year, their availability is expected to boost insurance coverage. The Democratic COVID legislation also has incentives for states to expand Medicaid to cover more low-income adults.
It fits into Biden’s strategy of pushing the U.S. toward coverage for all by building on the health law better known as “Obamacare.” The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 33 million people remain uninsured although the Obama health law has been on the books for more than 10 years.