ACA ENROLLMENT IN TEXAS - Texas has the highest number of uninsured people in the nation, some surveys indicate some 6 million are without health insurance, about 36% of those are children.
There are about two weeks left to sign up for health insurance through healthcare .gov. website. That’s the individual marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Compared to this time last year, enrollment is down about 7 percent in Texas. Last year, there was also a slight decrease in enrollment – about 8 percent compared to the year before. Melissa McChesney with the Center for Public Policy Priorities says enrollment is continuing to drop year after year as the Trump administration cuts funding for outreach and assistance for people buying a plan.
“And you saw that kind of come out in the big picture when you look at census data for 2017," explains McChesney. "And we assume it will happen again for 2018. We are seeing just overall uninsured rates increasing.”
While enrollment in Texas has been dropping, it’s been a smaller decrease that the nationwide average – which is about 13 percent so far. The last day to enroll in the Obamacare marketplace is December 15th.
