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 Obamacare
sign-ups rise but overall enrollment set to fall
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[December 14, 2017] By
Caroline Humer
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of
consumers who signed up for 2018 Obamacare health insurance surpassed
the 1 million mark in the second-to-last week of enrollment, the
government said on Wednesday, but it did not appear to be enough to grow
the program.
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 The Trump administration has worked to undercut former President
Barack Obama's national healthcare law by decreasing advertising and
discussing ending the mandate that Americans have health insurance,
which has weighed on 2018 enrollment.
Through Dec. 9, 4.68 million consumers signed up for the insurance
in the 39 states that use the federally run HealthCare.gov website.
The deadline for 2018 plans is Dec. 15.
More than 1.07 million consumers selected 2018 Obamacare individual
insurance plans in the week ended Dec. 9, a 30 percent increase from
the previous week.
Evercore ISI analyst Michael Newshel said last week's acceleration
was expected, but was not enough for year-over-year growth.
"With just a few more days left until Friday’s deadline, we think
enrollment is tracking towards a single-digit percent decline (if
renewal rate holds consistent with prior years and year-over-year
growth in new sign-ups seen to date is sustained), but it all comes
down to an uncertain final surge," Newshel wrote in a research note.
For 2018 to be on track with 2017, 4.52 million people would need to
sign up during the week that ends Dec. 15, Newshel said.
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The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast enrollment of
11 million in 2018, a figure that includes HealthCare.gov as well as
sign-ups in the 11 states and Washington D.C. that run their own
websites and have later deadlines.
An average of 10 million customers had enrolled and paid for
Obamacare individual insurance as of Sept. 15, 2017, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday, down from
12.2 million who signed up at the beginning of the year.
(Reporting by Caroline Humer; Editing by David Gregorio and Andrew
Hay)
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