Medicaid enrollment tops 10 million

By Kathryn Mayer

February 03, 2015 at 08:53 AM

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More than 10.1 million people have enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program as of November, government officials said Monday.

That's a 17.5 percent increase over the average monthly enrollment for July through September 2013.

Federal officials touted the numbers as evidence that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is working.

"These numbers are encouraging — not because of the continued growth — but because they reflect the millions of lives changed by the Affordable Care Act," Vikki Wachino, acting director of HHS' Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, said in a blog post.

States that have chosen to expand the health care program for the poor under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have seen the biggest enrollment boosts.

According to the data, Medicaid and CHIP enrollment rose in expansion states by nearly 25.5 percent in November compared to the July-September 2013 baseline period, "while states that have not, to date, expanded Medicaid reported an increase of approximately 7 percent over the same period," HHS reported.

The administration has been urging states that haven't yet expanded Medicaid to do so this year. Indiana became the latest state — and the 28th overall — to expand Medicaid on Jan. 27.

The blog posted on the HHS website also touted PPACA enrollment, saying 9.5 million have selected or reenrolled in plans through the law's exchanges.

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