Nearly 2.4 million Americans have signed up for Obamacare for the 2019 coverage year using the Healthcare.gov website, a decrease of 13% from 2.8 million a year ago, according to data released by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Data from the Healthcare.gov website, which manages enrolment in Affordable Care Act plans for 39 US states, shows that enrolment in the Obamacare is not encouraging despite passing half of the 45-days signup period. Enrolment started on 1 November.

Pennsylvania witnessed 25% slump in sign-ups, while Missouri and Ohio registered a decline of 25% and 20%, respectively.

Why is Obamacare enrolment down?

Consumer assistance groups, which assist in enrolment, attributed the decline to cut in funding by the federal government which forced these groups to reduce their staff headcounts.

The federal government has allocated $10m in 2018 for navigators who help individuals to sign up for the affordable healthcare coverage. The government spent $36m and $63m in 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Jodi Ray at the University of South Florida said: “We don’t have the people to provide the enrolment assistance nor to do the outreach and marketing to let people know what’s happening.”

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

She has been managing Florida’s largest navigator programme since 2014.

The decline in enrolment also follows an effort by the President Donald Trump to promote cheaper coverage with fewer consumer protections.

Additionally, Trump administration cut the Obamacare advertising budget as well as period of open enrolment to just six weeks instead of three months.

Some industry experts noted that calculating at a final decline at this stage is not feasible until the new data is issued.