Enrollment through HealthCare.gov is growing quickly
The federal health insurance exchange in the U.S. has been crippled by a range of technical problems that have kept many people from accessing insurance services through HealthCare.gov. The insurance gateway opened on October 1 of 2013, but relatively few people were able to enroll for coverage because of problems concerning the exchange’s structure. The federal government has been working to address these issues and ensure that consumers can access insurance services through federal exchanges and these efforts may finally be paying off.
1 million people enroll for coverage in December
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, more than 1 million people throughout the country enrolled for health insurance coverage through HealthCare.gov in December. Enrollment rates have doubled from what they were in October, when the federal exchange network was officially launched. The agency suggests that many of the technical problems that have crippled exchanges have been resolved, but other problems still exist that could impede a person’s ability to gain coverage through federal exchanges.
Federal exchanges find favor with consumers
December enrollment rates have served to encourage more consumers to seek out coverage through federal exchanges. Consumers had been quite critical of the federal exchange network when it was launched, claiming that it was a blatant failure of the Affordable Care Act. The Obama Administration has vowed to resolve the exchange’s issues and has managed to deliver on this promise relatively quickly.
State-run exchange manage to avoid technical difficulties
As the federal exchange becomes more capable, consumer’s access to health insurance coverage is expected to expand quickly. Federal exchanges are meant to provide people with access to affordable coverage that will not be available through the private market, a concept that was initially quite popular among consumers. Technical difficulties have made federal exchanges a target for consumer frustration, but state-run exchanges have managed to avoid much of the criticism that consumers have levied against the federal government.
