Projected Obamacare Enrollment Drops 1 Million After Failed Launch

This photo taken Nov. 29, 2013 shows a part of the HealthCare.gov website, photographed in Washington. Even though the government’s health care website may be fixed, a new poll finds that President Barack Obama’s... This photo taken Nov. 29, 2013 shows a part of the HealthCare.gov website, photographed in Washington. Even though the government’s health care website may be fixed, a new poll finds that President Barack Obama’s insurance markets haven’t impressed most consumers. Although negative perceptions of the health care rollout have eased, a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds that two-thirds of Americans say things still aren’t going well. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) MORE LESS
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The number of Americans expected to enroll in Obamacare coverage this year dropped by 1 million in the Congressional Budget office’s latest projections, a byproduct of HealthCare.gov’s disastrous launch last fall.

The CBO revised its enrollment projection from 7 million in 2014 to 6 million in 2014. “Those changes primarily reflect the significant technical problems that have been encountered in the initial phases of implementing the ACA,” the CBO said.

The original 7 million projection was the benchmark that the Obama administration had set for itself prior to HealthCare.gov’s Oct. 1 launch. But the site’s disastrous performance in its opening month foiled those goals. About 100,000 enrolled in October, well below the expected 500,000. Even as the site’s performance improved after it was declared ‘fixed’ in December, enrollment was lagging: 2.2 million enrolled by the end of December, compared to the anticipated 3.3 million.

CBO projected that the lower enrollment, paired with lower-than-expected premiums, would result in the federal government spending $10 billion less on tax subsides through the law in fiscal years 2014 and 2015.

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