Managers of the Affordable Care Act public exchange system say that, in spite of some carriers' withdrawals and critics' attacks, they have scraped up year-over-year growth in enrollment activity.
The states that use the federal HealthCare.gov exchange enrollment system and states that run their own systems recorded a total of 11.5 million exchange plan selections for 2017 as of Dec. 24, according to officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The exchange system had 2.5 percent more selections for 2017 than it had a year earlier for 2016, HHS officials said.
In the past, about 85 percent of the people who have selected exchange plans have effectuated the coverage by paying their premiums.
About 80 percent of the enrollees will qualify for the ACA premium tax credit, officials say.
Officials reported signs of consumers reducing their share of the premium bills by shopping hard for coverage.
Open enrollment for 2017 started Nov. 1, and is set to end Jan. 31.
The enrollment deadline for coverage that starts Feb. 1 is Jan. 15 in most of the country.
