Business Standard

Three million Americans sign up for Obamacare

Image

IANS Washington

In the past four months, 3.3 million Americans have signed up for private insurance plans under President Barack Obama's signature comprehensive healthcare reform, the Obama administration announced Wednesday.

January saw about 1.15 million sign-ups through federal and state insurance exchanges under Affordable Care Act, often known as Obamacare, four months into the six-month enrollment period, Xinhua reported.

The latest enrollment data showed that about 3.3 million Americans have signed up for private insurance plans under Obamacare from last Oct 1 through Feb 1.

The January data has shown a "healthy growth" in enrollment in the Obamacare exchanges, said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

 

Officials said the latest figures also proved a growing momentum for the Obamacare. The federal-run on-line exchange has gone through a rocky start since its debut last October. The enrollment figures began to rebound since last December after the administration worked around the clock to fix the glitches-plagued website.

However, the latest figure still fell short of its goal, six weeks before the enrollment period ends. The Obama administration initially aimed to enroll seven million people by the end of March. The Congressional Budget Office has lowered its forecast to six million as a result of the website glitches.

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Feb 13 2014 | 8:00 AM IST

Explore News