The Obamacare enrollment deadline is quickly approaching on March 31st, and numbers are picking up the pace as expected. However, with numbers sitting just above 5 million enrolled, will the number of Americans signing up reach the projected 7 million?
There are eleven days until the enrollment deadline, and the Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday that in the first half of March enrollment rose by about 800,000 people. That’s about 0.4 million per week. At this point, enrollment would have to leap to 1 million per week, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
The Administration has really gone above and beyond to not only encourage people to sign up, but to also spread the word via social media. The president even went on Between Two Ferns in a ploy to get his message out there.
They are also riding the coattails of “March Madness” to make people aware of some reasons to get signed up, releasing their own “bracket“. Seems desperate, but will it work?
There are still some issues that are slowing enrollment. There are still website kinks that seem to never end, there are coverage issues, and there is the fact that the costs (higher than promised) are not as affordable as just remaining uncovered and paying the penalty.
There was the problem last week during a WebMD interview wherein the President admitted that actually, you may not get to keep your doctor after all. And of course, there’s the problem of some 51% of Americans in the new Bloomberg National Poll saying the mandate should be repealed.
The true test of success will be after the deadline passes, all are enrolled, and the dust settles. Will the Americans who received coverage through Obamacare like their new coverage? Will the promises made hold water?
That remains to be seen. As for the enrollment goal, 1 million per week seems steep, but stranger things have happened…
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