More than 4 in 5 enrolled in ‘Obamacare’ are in Trump states
An
"There's politics, and then there's taking care of yourself and your family," said analyst
AP's analysis found that 11 states beat 2017's enrollment figures. Of them, eight —Iowa,
To be sure, Trump states are also home to many people who voted for Democrat
Such economic and political realities will be in the background when
The year 2019 — the effective date for repeal of the ACA's requirement that most people have coverage — is looking like a time of reckoning for the law's insurance markets, which offer subsidized private plans to people who don't have job-based coverage.
Unexpectedly strong enrollment numbers announced this week for the 39 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website testify to consumer demand for the program and its guarantee that people with medical problems can't be turned away. Yet those numbers still lag behind last season's sign-up total.
It's unclear what the final count for next year will be. HealthCare.gov numbers released Thursday are incomplete, and some states running their own insurance websites will continue enrolling people throughout January.
Separately, actions by the Trump administration and the
Starting in 2019, people won't have to worry about incurring a fine from the
"The real worry for me is what the health plans do," said Sloan. "If they decide that without the mandate it's not worth staying in this market, you could end up with swaths of the country having no insurers."
Bipartisan legislation to stabilize insurance markets is still alive in
On Friday, Trump said he thinks repealing the mandate as part of the tax overhaul "ultimately leads to the end of Obamacare." The president continued to ignore other parts of the law that remain untouched by the tax bill, including its Medicaid expansion benefiting low-income adults and the popular protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
Others say a corner has been turned in the health care debate, but where it will end up is still uncertain.
Former President
"With the end of the attempts to bring it down and to repeal it, perhaps there will be opportunities in the near future to try to actually build up and improve it, because it could use some work," he added.
AP broadcast journalist
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