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Obamacare 2014 by the numbers

Posted at 9:21 PM, Dec 19, 2014
and last updated 2014-12-20 12:22:52-05

2014 was the year that Obamacare broke from a trot to a gallop.

It was the year of the horse, after all.

The health care exchanges opened, Medicaid was expanded in most states and the individual mandate kicked in.

What happened last year?

- 6.7 million signed up for health coverage on the health insurance exchanges. About 400,000 received dental coverage.

- Another 5 million signed up for plans outside of the marketplace. Those plans must meet Affordable Care Act standards.

- Another 3 million young adults under 26 continued to receive coverage under their parents plans.

- 9.7 million more Americans enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, a 17 percent increase since the marketplaces opened.

- 28 states expanded Medicaid coverage.

 

What’s going on now?

- 46 percent of Americans disapprove of Obamacare, while 41 percent approve.

- 2.5 million Americans have picked a plan on the exchanges so far during open enrollment for 2015.

- 11.3 percent of Americans still lack health insurance, though that’s an improvement from 14.4 percent in 2013.

- 5 million will remain uninsured because their states did not expand Medicaid.

 

What’s left in 2015?

- The target for open enrollment is 9.1 million total signups.

- The employer mandate goes into effect. Support for the employer mandate, which requires businesses with more than 100 workers to provide health care coverage, is 6 in 10.

- The Supreme Court will decide if the law’s insurance subsidies are enforceable in states that rely on federal health exchanges.

- 16 states have no plans to expand Medicaid coverage.

-  7 states are exploring alternative means of expanding Medicaid, such as providing insurance premium assistance.

 

What’s it all cost?

- An April estimate by the Congressional Budget Office found that Obamacare costs were lower than initially expected.

- ACA cost the government $36 billion in 2014 for insurance credits, Medicaid and CHIP. That’s about $5 billion less than originally estimated.

-  In total, Obamacare is expected to cost $1.3 trillion from 2014 to 2024. CBO expects it to reduce federal deficits over the long term.

(Data: Kaiser Family Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Congressional Budget Office, WhiteHouse.gov, National Center for Health Statistics)

Gavin Stern is a national digital producer for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on twitter at @GavinStern.