Over 200K sign up for ACA during reopening

WASHINGTON — More than 200,000 people signed up for coverage in the first two weeks after President Joe Biden reopened HealthCare.gov as part of his coronavirus response, the government said Wednesday.

The solid start to the three-month special enrollment period indicates a pent-up demand for health insurance as the pandemic approaches the one-year mark and many people remain unemployed or unable to work as many hours as they did before the outbreak.

HealthCare.gov offers subsidized private health insurance under the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, catering mainly to lowand moderate-income working people.

If Congress passes Biden’s coronavirus response bill, taxpayer-funded financial aid will become considerably more generous, and a greater number of middle-class households would also qualify for assistance.

It fits into Biden’s strategy of pushing the U.S. toward coverage for all by building on the health law better known as “Obamacare.” The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 33 million people remain uninsured, though former President Barack Obama’s health law has been on the books for more than 10 years.

The numbers released Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services show that more than 206,000 people signed up for coverage from Feb. 15-28. The figures are partial, since they cover only the 36 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov insurance market. National enrollment will be higher when totals from states running their own insurance websites are factored in later.

HealthCare.gov will accept applications through May 15, a period about twice as long as the regular annual open enrollment.