(Bloomberg) — About 462,000 people signed up for Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act coverage in the first week the federal enrollment system was open for business, the government said today, confirming a turnaround for the program in its second year.
The government released the first of what it said would be weekly snapshots of health insurance sign-ups for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in plans began Nov. 15 and ends Feb. 15. The tally only includes people who signed up for coverage through the federally run program, and 14 states run their own sign-up systems.
"It's still early and we have a long way to go but we're off to a solid start," the U.S. health secretary, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, said during a conference call with reporters.
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It's a sign of progress after last year's mishaps, when the online system people use to shop and sign up for plans collapsed on its first day of business, and was followed by months of delays and errors. The administration's goal this year is to cover 9.1 million people next year through the state and federal program, compared with 6.7 million as of last month. That 9.1 million goal is lower than initial estimates, as government analysts said fewer people than expected are moving from plans they get through work into the U.S. system.
Anchored by healthcare.gov, the system was rebuilt this year and put under new leadership. "We believe for the vast majority of consumers they're having a faster, better experience," said Andy Slavitt, the principal deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs the website.
'Bumps'
"There have been bumps. Some of them were first-day issues such as consumers forgetting passwords or user names. Some are issues that are kind of tuning adjustments," he said on the conference call.
During the week beginning Nov. 15, 1 million people submitted applications to find out if they're eligible for coverage. Of the 462,000 people who chose health insurance plans, 48 percent were new customers, while the rest were renewing health insurance under the program.
The Health and Human Services Department has come under scrutiny after it said it erroneously inflated enrollment last year by about 400,0000, incorrectly counting people with dental plans to push total enrollment over 7 million. That mishap has led to criticism from Republicans and calls by Burwell for increased transparency. The data from the first week doesn't include dental plans, Burwell said.
The administration has had to overcome a lack of awareness about the availability of coverage. The Kaiser Family Foundation, which has tracked consumer attitudes about the health law since before its passage, said in an October survey that about 9 of 10 uninsured people didn't know when enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans began.
The health department said it will work with Westfield Corp., which runs 40 shopping malls that serve 425 million people in the U.S. Enrollment counselors will be stationed in malls to advise people on how to sign up and point them to locations, including in the shopping centers, where they can sign up. The department will also work with pharmacies to advise people on how they can enroll in plans.
A segment of the population is resistant to signing up, according to a Gallup poll conducted Oct. 22 to Nov. 12. Among the uninsured, 55 percent said they're more likely to get insurance, while 35 percent said they'd rather pay a fine under the law. Ten percent weren't sure, according to the poll.
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