Washington, D.C. — Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its Health Insurance Exchanges2018 Open Enrollment Period Final Report. The report showed that 11.8 million individuals signed up for coverage during the open enrollment period for 2018. Sam Berger, senior adviser at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement in response to the announcement:
The real news in today’s announcement is that, despite efforts by Congress and President Donald Trump to sabotage people’s health care, nearly 12 million people signed up for coverage this year. This success is a testament to the incredible work of so many people to defend the Affordable Care Act from the Trump administration’s attacks and help the public get signed up for coverage. Without their persistence and determination, millions of families would be left without coverage and at risk of financial catastrophe.
CMS’s report also shows that President Trump’s actions, such as cutting outreach and enrollment assistance, are having a real effect—the reduction in enrollment from the previous year occurred in those states that rely most heavily on the federal government to help people sign up. Experts have warned Congress and the Trump administration that their continued attacks will lead to increased costs for families, yet still, they do nothing. The American people want Congress to make health care more affordable and accessible, and they’ll keep speaking up until Congress listens.