Obamacare Needs Push

The Obama administration’s announcement this week that more than 1.1 million people signed up for a health plan on the federal exchange from October 1 to December 24 means a big push will be needed in the last three months for the 7 million enrollment goal to be met.
In addition to those 1.1 million that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said signed up via the federal exchange, analysts estimate an additional 800,000 t0 1 million others signed up on the more than two dozen state-run exchanges. The Obama administration has yet to comment on what the total count is between the federal and state exchanges for newly insured Americans taking advantage of broader coverage that begins Wednesday, New Year’s Day, under the Affordable Care Act.
But it’s clear to this point that the administration isn’t yet to the halfway point of the 7 million that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected in a September memo linked here. Even the CBO report, written before the disastrous launch of healthcare.gov, predicted a December spike in enrollment among those eligible for subsidies to buy health benefits from a private insurance company.

“We project that Marketplace enrollment will start slowly, with significant peaks in December,” the CBO memo said.
The goal is within reach, say many analysts.
The Washington Post’s Wonkblog touted “Obamacare just might net its 7 million sign-ups.” And other analysts in various reports this

President Barack Obama’s signature on the health insurance reform bill at the White House, March 23, 2010. The President signed the bill with 22 different pens. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)