A Late Rush to Sign Up for Insurance
By ROBERT PEAR, NYT
MAY 1, 2014
WASHINGTON — The number of people signing up for health insurance through the federal marketplace soared in March, exceeding the number who signed up in the previous five months, the Obama administration said Thursday in its final report on enrollment under the new health care law.
The report, for the first time, provided information about the racial and ethnic backgrounds of those signing up. Of the 3.8 million people in the federal exchange who voluntarily disclosed such information, 63 percent were white, 17 percent were black, 11 percent were Hispanic and 8 percent were Asian, officials said.
Of the more than eight million people who have bought insurance on the federal and state exchanges, 2.2 million, or 28 percent, were 18 to 34 years old. Insurers covet people in that age bracket because they tend to be healthier and file fewer claims than older consumers. Young adults accounted for nearly one-third of people signing up after March 1.
The numbers reported on Thursday include people who selected health plans through the March 31 deadline, as well as people who were allowed to finish applications after that date because they had been stymied in earlier efforts to enroll. The administration was generous in granting extra time to people who needed it, and this policy paid off in higher enrollment numbers. About 7.1 million people had selected health plans by the March deadline. From April 1 to 19, another 910,500 people were allowed to sign up.
(More here.)
WASHINGTON — The number of people signing up for health insurance through the federal marketplace soared in March, exceeding the number who signed up in the previous five months, the Obama administration said Thursday in its final report on enrollment under the new health care law.
The report, for the first time, provided information about the racial and ethnic backgrounds of those signing up. Of the 3.8 million people in the federal exchange who voluntarily disclosed such information, 63 percent were white, 17 percent were black, 11 percent were Hispanic and 8 percent were Asian, officials said.
Of the more than eight million people who have bought insurance on the federal and state exchanges, 2.2 million, or 28 percent, were 18 to 34 years old. Insurers covet people in that age bracket because they tend to be healthier and file fewer claims than older consumers. Young adults accounted for nearly one-third of people signing up after March 1.
The numbers reported on Thursday include people who selected health plans through the March 31 deadline, as well as people who were allowed to finish applications after that date because they had been stymied in earlier efforts to enroll. The administration was generous in granting extra time to people who needed it, and this policy paid off in higher enrollment numbers. About 7.1 million people had selected health plans by the March deadline. From April 1 to 19, another 910,500 people were allowed to sign up.
(More here.)
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