More than 21 million people across the country, including close to 3.5 million Texans, signed up for health care plans through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace for 2024.
Charles Miller, , said it鈥檚 a record high for Texas.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been some explosive growth,鈥� he said.
About 2.4 million Texans signed up for a plan through the Marketplace during open enrollment in 2023, , and a little over . According to health policy organization , Texas, Florida and Georgia
Miller said changes that made Marketplace plans more streamlined and affordable are part of the reason for the growth. The improved subsidies and lowered costs, and .
The federal government also gave out about to expand insurance Marketplace navigators in community organizations. Navigators help people apply for health insurance on Healthcare.gov and answer questions about the process.
Miller said it鈥檚 too soon to tell how this increase in coverage will impact the state鈥檚 uninsured rate 鈥� the highest in the country. According to the latest census data, 16.6% of Texans are uninsured, .
Health insurance, Miller said, gives people options to deal with medical issues before they become chronic or life-threatening.
鈥淚f you have health insurance, you are going to have some financial peace of mind and financial stability,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou are going to be able to make those decisions to seek care with finances being a little bit less of an issue.鈥�
Senior policy analyst Karla Martinez with said while the growth is a good sign, there are still people who can鈥檛 afford a Marketplace plan and don鈥檛 qualify for other kinds of insurance, like Medicaid.
鈥淭exas only has so many doors open for people,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 have a door at all for health insurance.鈥�
She said the Medicaid unwinding process 鈥� during which the state is determining people鈥檚 eligibility after pandemic-era protections ensuring coverage ended 鈥� has left 1.8 million Texans without health insurance. According to KFF, .
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to grasp both of those concepts, right,鈥� said Martinez. 鈥淗ealthcare.gov is working really well, and at the same time a lot of people are losing their Medicaid.鈥�
One way the state could improve health care access for low-income families, Martinez said, is by expanding Medicaid. Texas is one of only that has yet to do so.
But in the meantime, she encourages people who might have lost Medicaid coverage to check their eligibility for an ACA Marketplace plan. They could , even if the open enrollment period ended a few weeks ago.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not too late to check out what your options are and see if the door is open for you,鈥� Martinez said.
Got a tip? Email Elena Rivera at erivera@kera.org
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