Affordable Care Act enrollment up

Jan. 11--The numbers are up for enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, and Obama administration officials are still urging people to continue to enroll in the health insurance program despite what might be an imminent repeal by Congress.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that 12.2 million people had enrolled as of Dec. 24, an increase of 286,000 over the previous year and higher than any previous enrollment period. The increase came despite pledges by President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress to swiftly repeal the law once Trump takes office. That has caused more than 35,000 people to contact the program's call centers to ask whether they should still enroll, said senior official Christen Linke Young.

"Without hesitation, our answer to those people is 'yes,'" she said. "The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, and affordable, quality coverage remains available through healthcare.gov.

"Millions of people count on it for peace of mind. We're currently on track to grow compared to last year. That's a very strong position to be in under the circumstances."

The plan is to continue radio and TV ads, outreach and emails until the Jan. 31 deadline, Young said. The Internal Revenue Service is sending letters to those who went uninsured the previous year and who paid the penalty; the letters urge them to sign up instead, she said.

Also released Tuesday were more detailed demographic data for the 482,445 residents of Georgia who had enrolled. That included about 30 percent who were ages 18-34, compared with 26 percent nationwide -- about the same percentage as last year. That age group is among the "great procrastinators." so the deadline will be "especially important for bringing in young consumers," said senior counselor Aviva Aron-Dine.

The outreach by the IRS will also be key because the number of people who paid the penalty was higher among that age group, she said.

Officials had worried at the outset of the program about reaching young people, so officials "feel good about the robust demand we've seen to date," Aron-Dine said.

Reach Tom Corwin at (706) 823-3213 or tom.corwin@augustachronicle.com.

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