6.4 million Obamacare enrollments in 2016 despite GOP threats
More people have opted for Obamacare, despite months of campaigning against it as well as the GOP’s promise to repeal it.
The administration of US President Barack Obama made the announcement on Wednesday, asserting that 6.4 million people have enrolled for subsidized private coverage through HealthCare.gov.
According to the Health and Human Services Department, the overall total is an increase of 400,000 from a comparable period last year.
“We’re going to finish this open enrollment by trying to enroll more people than ever,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell. "Today's enrollment numbers confirm that doomsday predictions about the marketplace are not bearing out."
The challenge Obama faces is reaching the 13.8 million sign-ups target, given that new customers are fewer this year as current consumers re-up for another year.
This year 32 percent of the customers are new ones compared with a 40 percent figure last year.
"There are zero signs that the ACA's [Affordable Care Act] marketplaces are in danger of imminent collapse," said Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.
In the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, the now-president-elect, Donald Trump, vowed on several occasions to “repeal” the program.
“I will ask Congress to convene a special session so we can repeal and replace,” said the GOP nominee in an address in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, on November 1.
Repeal it!
According to a statement by House Speaker Paul Ryan, also released Wednesday, “Obamacare is hurting families, and before things get worse, we will act to repeal it so that we can bring relief as soon as possible.”
“Once Obamacare is repealed, we will make sure there is a stable transition period so that people don’t have the rug pulled out from under them,” Ryan (Pictured above) noted. “Working together, we will focus on delivering relief and a better system for people struggling under Obamacare.”
His statement echoed previous ones by top GOPers against ObamaCare, however, the new figures indicate that Americans have not been influenced by such a viewpoint.
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