One million people have now signed up for health coverage under the Biden administration’s HealthCare.gov special enrollment period, the White House announced Tuesday.
“That’s one million more Americans who now have the peace of mind that comes from having health insurance. One million more Americans who don’t have to lie awake at night worrying about what happens if they or one of their family members gets sick,” Biden said in a statement. “Through this opportunity for special enrollment, we have made enormous progress in expanding access to health insurance.”
The news comes less than one week after the administration announced that over 900,000 people signed up during the special period that President Joe Biden opened in mid-February amid the COVID-19 crisis. The window is typically opened for a limited period annually, but Biden extended it due to the pandemic.
The president called the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, colloquially referred to as “Obamacare” by some, “a lifeline for millions of Americans.”
“The pandemic has demonstrated how badly it is needed, and how critical it is that we continue to improve upon it,” Biden added. “Through this opportunity for special enrollment, we have made enormous progress in expanding access to health insurance.”
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services touted the fact that premiums have dropped by more than 40% on average for nearly 2 million current HealthCare.gov enrollees thanks to tax credits thanks to the American Rescue Plan, Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill.
“My American Rescue Plan lowered premiums for nine million Americans who buy their coverage through the Affordable Care Act, saving families an average of $50 per person per month,” Biden said Tuesday. “Americans are also seeing lower out of pocket costs. Since April 1, the median deductible for Americans signing up for new coverage on HealthCare.gov has dropped by nearly 90 percent, to just $50.”
In a statement, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said the work to insure Americans “is far from over.”
“Now, it’s time for Congress to build on this progress with the American Families Plan, which would lower health care costs for families and make premium relief permanent,” he added. “In addition, four million uninsured Americans could gain health coverage.”
Biden echoed Becerra’s sentiments: “The American Families Plan will build on this work to make health care more affordable — including by making the American Rescue Plan’s premium reductions permanent. Today’s milestone demonstrates that there is a need and a demand for high quality, affordable health insurance across this country. It is up to Congress to hear them, and act quickly to pass the American Families Plan.”
