Record enrollment signals desire for affordable care and prescriptions

AFFORDABLE CARE

The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the Affordable Care Act. Again. This came as the Biden administration announced that a record 31 million people now have coverage, thanks to the ACA, including 44,228 Granite Staters enrolled in ACA marketplace coverage and 69,814 enrolled in Medicaid expansion. Of those enrolled in a marketplace plan, 5,425 enrolled between Feb. 15 and May 31, nearly double the number of Granite Staters who enrolled during the same period in 2020.

The national enrollment numbers in ACA marketplace coverage and Medicaid expansion are “record highs,” according to new data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These enrollment numbers reinforce the resiliency of the ACA ahead of the Supreme Court’s pending decision in the California vs. Texas case. The numbers also highlight the continued need for the marketplace and Medicaid expansion as New Hampshire and the U.S. rebound from the Covid-19 recession.

These New Hampshire enrollment numbers are further proof that the ACA works, is resilient, and that Americans want it and need it. We need to continue building on the law to reduce costs and extend the ACA’s success to the next frontier in healthcare: lowering the cost of prescription drugs.

The American Rescue Plan, which passed in March and provided $1.9 trillion in Covid-19 relief funds, also expands access to quality, affordable healthcare in New Hampshire and across the country. New Hampshire’s congressional delegation all voted in favor of the relief bill. They have also been integral to protecting ACA coverage and support further legislation to make healthcare more affordable.

New Hampshire Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, and Congressman Chris Pappas and Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster understand the importance of affordable healthcare access through hundreds of conversations with constituents about their struggles with the healthcare system, pharmaceutical costs and private insurance companies. While progress has been made in expanding access, more still needs to be done to make healthcare and medications more affordable to all New Hampshire residents.

Jayme Simões of Concord is state director of Protect Our Care New Hampshire.