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The Affordable Care Act has yet again beaten predictions of its downfall, as government figures released Wednesday showed unexpectedly solid sign-ups for health coverage next year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said nearly 8.5 million people had enrolled as of last Saturday's deadline, with about a dozen states, including California and New York, still left to report. The preliminary number was down about 4 percent, when a much bigger loss had been expected. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/19)

In the open enrollment period that ended on Saturday, the number of sign-ups totaled 8.45 million, down from 8.82 million at the same point last year, a drop of about 367,000, or 4 percent, despite warnings that a more precipitous drop could be in the offing. Democrats have repeatedly accused President Trump of sabotaging the Affordable Care Act and its marketplace by promoting short-term health policies with skimpier coverage, substantially cutting enrollment promotion efforts and nearly eliminating funds for “navigators” who help potential enrollees through the process. Congress also zeroed out the health law’s penalty for not being covered, starting in 2019. But Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that “enrollment remained steady through HealthCare.gov.” (Pear, 12/19)

Enrollment had been running about 10 percent lower but picked up during the past week, reflecting a typical trend of last-minute shopping, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma said in a call with reporters. Verma said the decrease was due to increased employment, which typically means more people had employer-based health insurance, and that about 100,000 people with Obamacare insurance in Virginia became eligible for the expanded Medicaid program there. (Humer, 12/19)

More than 4.3 million people signed up for coverage in the final week, which ended Saturday. That compares to the 4.1 million people who signed up in the final week last year. (Hellmann, 12/19)

After just completing its sixth annual enrollment season, the federal insurance marketplace created under the ACA “is far from dead and remarkably resilient,” said Larry Levitt, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health policy group. He noted, however, that the number of first-time enrollees dropped by 15 percent from last year. The number of returning customers was marginally higher than last year. (Goldstein, 12/19)

Analysts say many factors are behind the enrollment slowdown. They cite a general lack of public awareness about open enrollment; repeal of the federal penalty on people who don’t have health insurance; and the proliferation of health plans that don’t comply with the ACA. In addition, last week’s ruling by a Texas federal judge in Texas invalidating the ACA, at least for now—which came just before the busiest enrollment days—may have affected sign-ups. (Armour, 12/19)

Though the federal judge's ruling against the health care law appears not to have dampened interest in the final day of open enrollment, Democratic lawmakers say it may have ramifications in the coming weeks. “Right now, a single mother who signed up for coverage during the open enrollment period is trying to make a decision about whether or not she ought to pay her premium," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Finance Committee. (Ollstein and Demko, 12/19)

The final tally of people obtaining health insurance in 2019 through the marketplaces set up under the 2010 health care law won’t be set until early next year. That final count will include current HealthCare.gov consumers who are automatically enrolled in policies and people who buy plans in states that run their own separate exchanges, many of which haven't completed their enrollment periods. (McIntire, 12/19)

Enrollment in health insurance plans for 2019 under the Affordable Care Act has slipped about 4 percent from the signup period last year, according to federal data, after a late surge prevented the decline from reaching double digits. Nearly 8.5 million people in states that use the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace signed up for 2019 coverage by the Dec. 15 deadline, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported, off from about 8.8 million last year. (Sechler, 12/19)

The number of Iowans signing up for private health insurance under Obamacare slipped this fall, but not as much as the program's fans feared. Federal officials reported Wednesday that 49,376 Iowans enrolled in private insurance plans for 2019 by the Dec. 15 deadline. The preliminary numbers were down about 7 percent from the 2018 total of 53,217, although officials said the new estimate could edge up as all last-minute enrollees are counted. (Leys, 12/19)

About 10 percent fewer New Hampshire residents bought health insurance through the federal marketplace this year than last, which is less of a decline than had been expected. According to Covering New Hampshire, 44,930 residents signed up for a plan for 2019 through the Health Insurance Marketplace between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15. (Brooks, 12/19)