Health care law sign-ups dip ahead of next week’s deadline

WASHINGTON — With open enrollment ending next week, the government said Thursday that sign-ups for coverage under former President Barack Obama’s health care law are lagging. Figures by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show that 3.2 million people have signed up for subsidized private insurance, compared with 3.6 million at the same time last year.

Open enrollment ends Dec. 15. The number of new customers is down nearly 18 percent.

Many Democrats blame the Trump administration for the slippage, but independent experts say there may be other reasons. In a strong economy people are more likely to find jobs with coverage.

Most of the 10 million currently enrolled will have their coverage renewed automatically.