Do 6 million people receive Obamacare health insurance without knowing it?

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Do 6 million people receive Obamacare health insurance without knowing it?No.

We found no documentation confirming a Sept. 29 statement by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., that 6 million people unknowingly received health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

Johnson cited a report by Paragon Health Institute, a thinktank aligned with the Trump administration.

The report produced an estimate, not a count, claiming 6.4 million people were fraudulently enrolled in Obamacare. It said they were not income-eligible, including millions who "appear to be enrolled without their knowledge."

The methodology was faulted by Blue Cross Blue Shield, the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals and the American Hospital Association.

Paragon stood by its work.

Fraud is much more common among brokers misappropriating patients' identities than by patients, said KFF Obamacare program director Cynthia Cox and Justin Giovannelli of Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms.

Consumers are cautioned about offers to enroll them in Obamacare.

Sources

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson: EmailParagon Health Institute: The Greater Obamacare Enrollment Fraud: The Fraud Got Much Worse in 2025Politico: The think tank driving health policy on Capitol Hill — and dividing RepublicansWashington Post: As GOP eyes ACA cuts, a conservative group highlights rampant fraudParagon Health Institute: Answering the Critics: How Paragon Discovered Enrollment Fraud in the ACA ExchangesBlue Cross Blue Shield: The facts about the individual marketplaceNational Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals: Facts Over Fear: NABIP Rebukes Paragon's Misleading ACA ClaimsAmerican Hospital Association: Setting the Record Straight: Separating Fact from Fiction on Health Insurance Marketplace FraudU.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Consumer Fraud in the Health Insurance Marketplace