The Biden administration on Tuesday touted its efforts to make affordable health insurance available to all Americans, saying a record 11.5 million individuals signed up for coverage on Healthcare.gov between Nov. 1 – Dec. 15 of this year.
The registrations represent an 18% increase from the same time period last year and an “all-time record” for the website, according to the White House.
“I promised to lower costs for families and ensure that all Americans have access to quality affordable health care,” President Joe Biden wrote in a statement. “In recent days, we received further proof that our efforts are delivering record results and bringing families the peace of mind that comes with health insurance.”
Marketplace open enrollment for health care coverage lasts through Jan. 15 of next year. Thanks to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, some pandemic-era provisions that lowered health care rates – which were set to expire at the end of this year – will be available through the end of the open enrollment period.
That same bill also sets a $35 monthly cap on insulin for seniors and caps prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year under Medicare, both benefits which will go into effect on Jan. 1.
This year marked the 10th open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act at Healthcare.gov. The Biden administration has noted that more families are eligible for coverage this year, and more are eligible for newly expanded financial assistance.
Applicants who need coverage until Jan. 1, 2023, have missed the Dec. 15 deadline for continuous coverage, though the absolute final deadline to apply for coverage is Jan. 15. Those individuals won’t be covered for the first few weeks of the new year.
Members of the Biden administration have, in recent days, touted the benefits that will go into effect next year thanks to the IRA. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Sunday noted the New Year will see “more recommended adult vaccines (like shingles vaccine!) free for seniors on Medicare.”
If the IRA is repealed – a move Republicans have long pledged to initiate once they retake the House of Representatives – around 3.3 million people on Medicare could see insulin costs go up, 13 million could pay $800 more, on average, for health insurance under the ACA and 1.4 million would lose a cap on prescription drug costs, according to a White House fact sheet.
