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Nearly 11.8 million people enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans in 2018

In this Dec. 15, 2017 photo, the HealthCare.gov website is photographed in Washington. A new tally by The Associated Press finds that nearly 11.8 million Americans have signed up for coverage this year under former President Barack Obama's health care law. That's only about 3 percent less than last year, remarkably stable despite President Donald Trump's repeated efforts to repeal or undercut the program. The Affordable Care Act offers subsidized private health insurance to people who don't have coverage on the job. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
In this Dec. 15, 2017 photo, the HealthCare.gov website is photographed in Washington. A new tally by The Associated Press finds that nearly 11.8 million Americans have signed up for coverage this year under former President Barack Obama's health care law. That's only about 3 percent less than last year, remarkably stable despite President Donald Trump's repeated efforts to repeal or undercut the program. The Affordable Care Act offers subsidized private health insurance to people who don't have coverage on the job. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

By Associated Press 4 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Call it the political equivalent of a death-defying escape: former President Barack Obama’s health care law pulled in nearly 11.8 million customers for 2018, despite the Republican campaign to erase it from the books.

An Associated Press count found that nationwide enrollment was about 3 percent lower than last year. California, with more than 1.5 million sign-ups, was the last state to report, announcing its numbers on Wednesday.

Sixteen states increased their enrollment from last year, according to AP’s analysis. Six of those were carried by President Donald Trump in 2016, while 10 went for Democrat Hillary Clinton.

However, of the total number of people signed up this year about 6 in 10 live in states that went for Trump, according to the AP’s analysis.

“If you had asked me a year ago whether enrollment for 2018 would be almost equal to 2017, I would have laughed at you,” said Larry Levitt, who follows the health law for the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.