Early technical issues with the new healthcare marketplace, HealthCare.gov, brought serious criticism to an already controversial government initiative. But a new report published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services suggests that the tides may be turning for Obamacare.
By the end of November, coverage plan enrollment numbers for Texans had jumped to 14,000 – that’s up from 3,000 the month before.
And many more Texans are on their way to enrolling. According to the same report, nearly a quarter of a million Texans have applied for coverage and are waiting to choose a Marketplace plan. Those numbers are actually the second highest in the nation for states that are supported or fully run by a federal (rather than a state-implemented) healthcare Marketplace.
Why the recent jump in applications and enrollment? Officials say technological advances in the system paired with an ongoing outreach campaign have contributed to the Marketplace’s burgeoning success.
“HealthCare.gov is now working smoothly for the vast majority of users,” Michael Hash, Senior Adviser for the Health & Human Services Office, said.
According to the new report, more than 1.9 million Americans have now made it through the eligibility component of the application process, and nearly 365,000 have selected plans from the state and federal Marketplace. Enrollment numbers for the month of November alone were four times greater than those reported for October, suggesting an upwards trend.
Hash hopes that these numbers will inspire those who initially experienced difficulty with the system to give the Marketplace another shot.
“We invite those Americans whose experiences with HealthCare.gov have been frustrating to come back and try again,” Hash said.
