A Record 477,793 Ohioans Enrolled In ACA Health Insurance Marketplace In 2024

( Ohio Capital Journal ) - According to data collected by The. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services . That's up from last year's report, which showed only 294,644 Ohioans enrolled in the program, and even more than 259,999 in 2022.

From Ohio The increase in enrollment is an example of a broader national trend. FINE January 24 , It has Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that 21.3 million people nationwide chose a Marketplace plan during the enrollment period. Of these, 16 million renewed coverage and 5 million became new users.

“Once again, a record number of Americans have signed up for affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, and they and their families can now enjoy the peace of mind that coverage provides.” health and social services (HHS) Secretary Javier Becerra He said. “The ACA remains a successful, popular and important federal program for millions of people and their families. Celebrating the success of this latest student recruitment effort, HHS will redouble its efforts. Biden-Harris Administration efforts to increase access to quality health care and reduce costs.

What is the Affordable Care Act?

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 (also known as Obamacare) aims to make healthcare more affordable for Americans who need it. Subsidies are available to families with median incomes below the federal poverty level, and Medicaid covers all adults living below 138 percent of the poverty level. Under the ACA, states that refused to expand Medicaid would be denied federal Medicaid funding. The law also includes protections for health care customers by preventing insurance companies from denying services to customers or overcharging them if they have a “pre-existing condition”—a health problem that existed before someone started health insurance.

What is a market?

Created in 2010 by the Affordable Care Act, Marketplace is an acronym for “ Health Insurance Market Health Insurance Registration Service. Through websites, call centers and self-help services, the Marketplace allows consumers who are often uninsured to purchase affordable health insurance plans. , insurance, or coverage through programs such as Medicaid and CHIP.

How did states react?

year 2012. US Supreme Court By a 5-4 vote, it ruled that the Affordable Care Act was constitutional. "The Affordable Care Act's requirement that some people pay a financial penalty for not having health insurance could reasonably be considered a tax," he wrote. Chief Justice John Roberts according to the majority of the court. "Because Constitution accepts this tax, we should neither prohibit it nor impart wisdom and justice to it.

Nevertheless, Supreme Court He also ruled 7–2 that the ACA is coercive and that if states choose not to expand Medicaid coverage, the federal government will not be able to reimburse Medicaid.

“The threat of losing more than 10 percent of the overall state budget is an economic burden that leaves states with no real choice but to accept Medicaid expansion.” Judge Roberts write also

Following this decision, only ten states chose not to expand Medicaid coverage. North Carolina (which had previously resisted) expanded its coverage last December. Of the states that refuse to expand Medicaid, all of their legislatures have Republican governors or Republican majorities.

How did the Affordable Care Act impact you? Ohio ?

Republican governor John Kasich He pushed to expand Medicaid in 2013, a policy that took effect a year later despite protests from Republican lawmakers over Kasich's decision. In 2014, 54,000 Ohioans signed up for the program, and a year later, 234,507 signed up or renewed their membership.

According to: Center for Political and Budgetary Priorities The Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion for adults ages 55 to 64, released in 2019, saved 19,200 lives between 2014 and 2017, including 1,452 Ohioans.

“The life-saving impact of Medicaid expansion is significant. the annual mortality rate among older adults decreases by 39 to 64 percent,” the study authors write.

Meanwhile, a Policy Matters Ohio study released in 2018 found about 54,000 jobs. Ohio They directly contributed to Medicaid expansion and increased state revenue. $2.7 trillion For From Ohio citizens.

" From Ohio Medicaid expansion provides access to health care to an additional 691,803 working-age people. A recent evaluation of the program confirmed that access to health care improves health, including early diagnosis and timely treatment of chronic diseases,” Ohio-based Policy Matter researchers wrote. Wendy Patton AND Amanda Woodrum .

But last year, 609,517 Ohioans lost Medicaid coverage after COVID-19 protections ended in April, and 73% of people were disenrolled for procedural reasons. 86,000 others Ohio The children lost Medicaid coverage last year, and Health Secretary Becerra sent a letter to the governor. Mike Duane “Your state is among the nine states with the highest number or percentage of children who have lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage since full eligibility renewals for these programs began this spring.”

How to be Ohio Have politicians reacted?

Three candidates in the Republican primaries Senate They opposed the Affordable Care Act. “The Affordable Care Act has nothing to do with affordability,” he wrote. Bernie Moreno In a post on Twitter July 27, 2022 .

Frank LaRose tweeted June 28, 2012 that he was “disappointed.” Supreme Court The ACA ruling states: “This could cost Medicaid OH billions of dollars and huge tax increases for the MDL class. »

FINE Matt Dolan The campaign's website claims Obamacare was "poorly designed, poorly implemented, and a tool of partisan interests."

Ohio Democrat UNITED STATES Senator Sherrod Brown He voted for the Affordable Care Act and consistently voted against attempts to repeal it.

Republican Party Context of the 2024 presidential candidacy Donald Trump He unsuccessfully tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act during his first administration and has vowed to repeal it if he wins in 2024.