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U.S. seeks strong finish on health care sign-ups amid doubts

In this Oct. 6, 2015, file photo, the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen in Washington. After five consecutive years of coverage gains, progress reducing the number of uninsured Americans stalled in 2016, according to a government report that highlights the stakes as Republicans try to roll back Barack Obama’s law. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 28.6 million people were uninsured last year, unchanged from 2015. The uninsured rate was 9 percent, not a significant change from 9.1 percent in 2015. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Seeking a strong showing in President Barack Obama’s last year in office, the administration said Thursday 11.3million people have enrolled for health law coverage with three weeks still left in the sign-up season.

But a major independent survey out simultaneously showed that progress reducing the number of uninsured Americans stalled last year. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found the uninsured rate among adults essentially unchanged in 2015, raising concerns about the lasting impact of the Affordable Care Act.

“Enrollment is growing, though less quickly than anticipated,” said Larry Levitt, who follows the health overhaul for the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “The law is hardly collapsing, as critics have suggested, but it continues to be unclear whether it will ultimately be the success that advocates had hoped.”

Administration officials exuded confidence in a call with reporters.

“The marketplace continues to be stable, vibrant and growing,” said Andy Slavitt, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers the health overhaul’s online insurance market.

Officials said enrollees are trending younger, and a growing share of returning customers has grown savvy about comparing insurance options to find the best deals. The administration is expecting a surge of young procrastinators to sign up near the Jan. 31 deadline for 2016 coverage. That could help hold lower premiums the following year.

About 8 in 10 customers are eligible for federal tax credits to bring down the cost of their monthly premiums. The administration appears on track to meet its target of having 10million paying customers signed up at the end of this year.

In the 38 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website, 29percent of those signed up were new customers, a big priority. Overall, more than 1 in 4 was between the ages of 18 and 34, a coveted demographic since healthy young adults balance older customers who are more prone to medical problems.

Administration officials said they are unable to tell how many new enrollees were previously uninsured. Since the health care law’s big coverage expansion got underway in 2014, the nation’s uninsured rate has come down to historically low levels. But a major independent survey also released Thursday indicated that accomplishment may be in jeopardy.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found the share of U.S. adults without health insurance was 11.9percent in the last three months of 2015, unchanged from the start of the year.

The sharp drop in the uninsured rate seen in the first of the law’s coverage expansion now has leveled off, Gallup said in an analysis.

“This validates concerns that similarly large reductions may not be possible in the future because the remaining uninsured are harder to reach or less inclined to become insured,” the analysis said.