After slow start, ACA enrollment takes off

The surge in enrollments comes after a slow start. As of Dec. 4, 5.4 million people had enrolled in federal ACA marketplace plans. During the same time last year, 7.3 million people had enrolled in individual coverage. 

In a Dec. 20 news release, CMS said 2 million new consumers signed up for plans on the federal marketplace.

Enrollment in the ACA marketplace has grown rapidly since 2021, when enhanced subsidies were introduced, making premiums more affordable for many. In 2024, 21.5 million people enrolled in ACA coverage, the highest number since the marketplace launched in 2014. 

Here are three things to know: 

1. CMS extended the deadline to enroll in coverage that begins Jan. 1 by three days in response to slow enrollment. Open enrollment runs until Jan. 15.
2. In July, CMS issued new policies intended to block agents and brokers from making unauthorized changes to individual splan enrollment. In the first half of 2024, the agency received more than 100,000 complaints from individuals enrolled in an ACA plan without their knowledge.
3. A federal judge halted new regulations allowing individuals who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to enroll in ACA marketplace plans in the middle of open enrollment. CMS estimated 100,000 uninsured DACA recipients could have received coverage throught the marketplace. 

Editor’s note: This story was published Dec. 19 and updated with newly available enrollment numbers from CMS on Dec. 20. 

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