About 11.3 million people signed up for 2016 health insurance policies under the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. said Thursday, exceeding the low end of government estimates.
The Obamacare figures, which include federal data through Jan. 2 and state data through Dec. 26, are the most complete yet from the Health and Human Services Department. Most people have until the end of the month to sign up for 2016 health plans, and the government has estimated that 11 million to 14.1 million people will pick plans by then.
Investors and politicians are closely watching the sign-up numbers to analyze how Obamacare is faring. Hospitals and insurers are counting on enrollees to boost their profits, after signs that some people had dropped their policies weighed on hospital stocks last fall.
Some people who pick plans typically stop paying premiums over the course of the year. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell has estimated that about 9.9 million people will be enrolled in Obamacare plans by the end of this year, up from about 9.1 million on Dec. 31, 2015.
Zachary Tracer
Bloomberg News
