More than 1 million Texans signed up for health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act during the enrollment period that ended the day after a federal judge ruled the law is invalid. That's almost 40,000 fewer sign-ups than during the last enrollment period.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 1,089,636 Texans signed up for health insurance plans for 2019 through HealthCare.gov.
Enrollment has been steadily declining under the Trump administration. Last year, 1.1 million people signed up for plans in Texas. The previous year, 1.2 million Texans bought plans.
A few weeks ago, advocates reported that there was a noticeable decline in enrollment, particularly among Latinos. Looming changes to immigration policy were fueling most of the decline, said Kori Hattemer of Foundation Communities, a group that helps people sign up for insurance.
Health care advocates say federal policies – as well as cuts to funding for outreach and assistance for people trying to buy health plans – has led to fewer people having insurance.
Reports in the last few months show significant declines in insurance rates in Texas, including rates among children.
