As the enrollment period comes to a close for ObamaCare plans, more people are signing up for them, although overall numbers remain lower than last year, The Hill reported on Wednesday.
There were 934,269 people who signed up for coverage at healthcare.gov. during the sixth week of open enrollment, which was from Dec. 2 until Dec. 8.
This was more than any other week of this year's sign-up period, even as it is down from the 1,073,921 who signed up during the same period last year.
For the year, enrollment is down 12 percent from 2017.
“As in past years, we have seen an uptick in the volume of consumers using HealthCare.gov and contacting our call center as we get closer to the Dec. 15 deadline to select a plan for the upcoming year," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Coverage starts on Jan. 1.
High-profile Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, are on a social media blitz to remind people to sign up for Obamacare before the open enrollment period ends, CNBC reported.
Part of the reason for an overall drop in enrollment is this is the first year consumers will not have to pay a penalty for being without insurance, according to The Hill.
Another factor is that more people could also be dropping ObamaCare coverage to sign up for plans expanded by the Trump administration that are cheaper but cover fewer services.
Also believed to be contributing to the decline in enrollment is the Trump administration’s cut in fudning for the second year in a row for local groups that help people enroll in coverage.
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