Enrollment Down For Those With Cost Assistance, But Up For Those With It

CMS Data From August 2019 Shows a Net Drop in Marketplace Insured for 2017 – 2018

CMS data shows that marketplace enrollment was down by 1.2 million for 2017 – 2018 for those who didn’t qualify for cost assistance. However, it was up 300,000 for those that did qualify.

Unless those who didn’t use the marketplace got covered by other means, it implies that total enrollment in individual and family private coverage was down.

In short, this data implies there was a net drop in coverage.

This is actually the second period in a row where such a drop took place.

Consider this excerpt from the report, “During two successive years of declining enrollment from 2016 to 2018, unsubsidized enrollment declined by 2.5 million people, representing a 40 percent drop nationally.”

The key takeaway here is that those without access to subsidies are now, especially in this post-mandate era of not getting charged for not having coverage as prices rise, seemingly choosing to go without health insurance. We don’t however know why (although it is likely the obvious answer, “costs”).