Published: Mar 27, 2014
By David Pittman, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
WASHINGTON -- More than 6 million people have signed up for private health plans under the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration said Thursday.
But health insurers are still waiting to see if the check is in the mail.
The Department of Health and Human Services isn't saying how many of those 6 million have paid their first month's premiums, so the actual enrollment in ACA plans may be much lower. Going through the sign-up process and selecting a plan is different from paying money to activate the coverage.
Varying reports -- from Politico and CNN -- pin the number of enrollees who haven't paid premiums at 15% to 30%.
Although the White House may not hit its goal of enrolling 7 million for coverage in 2014, the 6 million mark is a milestone given there were only about 4 million enrolled just 2 weeks ago. And fewer than 400,000 had signed up for coverage in October and November.
