Update: 7.1 million
First off, we win. We think we have 7.08 million ACA signups as of midnight last night. We also think we will get to 7.5-8.0 million in the extension period.
Then there are the losers. Ted Cruz has made an idiot of himself about the ACA on Facebook. John Barrasso has made an idiot of himself on Fox News about the ACA, along with others. The entire Republican Party is out making idiots of themselves. More on the April idiots below.
And then we must remember the real losers in this business, those still shut out from decent health care, starting with those in the Red states that turned down Medicaid expansion, or have implemented crippled versions of Medicaid in the past. In addition, many people were convinced not to sign up, or actively prevented from signing up on the Exchanges by Republican lies and obstruction.
But first, the news, with updates to come, as you see.
Enrollment Period Elapsed: 100.0%
Original 7M CBO Exchange QHP Projection Reached: 101.1%
Exchange QHP Projection, 10/1/13 - 3/31/14: 7.08M
(OFF-Exchange QHPs: 558K documented; Rand Corp. study finds appx. 9M total nationally)
Second update, 3:15 pm
3/31 Exchange QHP Grand Total: 7.1 Million (estimate)
Colorado: 3/31 QHP Total: 118.6K; Medicaid: 158.5K
Washington State: 140K QHPs NOT including Monday
DC: 3/31 QHP Total: 9.8K; Medicaid 17.5K; SHOP 12.9K
First update, 1:56 pm
Minnesota 3/31 QHP total: 47K QHPs, 122.2K Medicaid
To date, MNsure has enrolled 47,046 Minnesotans in a Qualified Health Plan, 34,219 in MinnesotaCare and 87,986 in Medical Assistance.
First posting of the day, at 1:03 pm
April 1
Rhode Island: 3/31 Exchange QHP Total: 28K
217,176
Holy smokes. [Champagne Celebration as 7 Million Signups Achieved]
At 12:01 AM, White House Chief Technology Officer Todd Park acknowledged to QSSI, the Columbia, Maryland firm tasked with fixing Healthcare.gov that the ACA enrollments have surpassed the 7 million mark.
217,000 enrollees. In one day…"with the FFM alone." The FFM stands for the Federally-facilitated Marketplace...aka, Healthcare.Gov.
Yeah, we used to talk about whether we could get to 50,000 a day.
Outstanding Numbers
"Outstanding Numbers" has two meanings: The first, of course, is that in spite of everything—the terrible website launch of HC.gov and some of the state sites; the still-terrible status of some of the state sites even now; the actively-hostile opposition and obstructive actions in certain states, the negative spin on every development by some in the news media—in spite of all of this, over 7 million people nationwide enrolled in private, ACA-compliant healthcare plans between 12:01am on 10/1/13 and 11:59pm on 3/31/14…slightly surpassing the original CBO projection for that period.
On a more practical level, I'm using the other meaning of "outstanding". That is, the enrollment data which has yet to either occur or which has already occurred but hasn't been documented yet.
The Actual Numbers: 14.6 - 22.1 Million
7.08 Million Exchange-based QHPs (estimate)
+ 71,000 SHOP QHPs
+ 9.0 Million total OFF-Exchange QHPs (estimate from the Rand Corp.)
+ 4.71 Million New "Strict Expansion" Medicaid enrollees
+ 1.80 Million New "Woodworker" Medicaid enrollees (estimate)
+ 3.10 Million 19-26 Year Olds on their Parent's Plans (estimate)
- 3.70 Million Cancelled Non-Compliant Policies
(see? I told you I'd subtract these once I knew the total number of off-exchange QHPs!)
= appx. 22.1 Million People (at the high end) or 14.6 Million (at the low end)
Math you do as a Republican to make yourself feel better
Taking note of Barrasso's "cooking the books", brainwrap shows a video from the last great gathering of the idiots, when every Republican was predicting a Romney win on election night based on "unskewed" poll numbers. Specifically, it was Jon Stewart showing Megyn Kelly on Fox asking Karl Rove
Is this just math that you do as a Republican to make yourself feel better, or is this real?
New York: QHPs 6K higher than I thought!
Maryland: Over 3K QHPs today alone (vs. 322/day in February)
Out of 6,000 total enrollments that day.
The April Idiots
Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz asks Facebook friends about Obamacare, finds out they like it
Back on March 24, Cruz posted an informal survey on his verified senatorial Facebook page. It read: "Quick poll: Obamacare was signed into law four years ago yesterday. Are you better off now than you were then? Comment with YES or NO!"
It's probably fair to say that he didn't expect the tsunami of "YES" votes that have shown up on the page among the 47,000 that Facebook says have been posted.
Respondents have listed, among other things, their newfound ability to obtain coverage despite preexisting medical conditions, the right of young adults to stay on their parents' policies to age 26, lower premiums and the end of lifetime benefit limits.
And saving their lives.
Russ Campbell Thank God for Obamacare. I now have health care, and they discovered I have cancer. I'm going to have surgery in a week and I might live. Without Obamacare I would just die.
Addictinginfo had the story earlier.
Ted Cruz Tries To Use Facebook To Prove No One Likes Obamacare And It Blows Up In His Face (IMAGES)
John Barrasso and Lindsey Graham
GOP senator claims White House 'cooking the books' on Obamacare enrollment surge
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) on Sunday dismissed the White House's recent announcement that Obamacare enrollment had reached more than 6 million people, calling it a meaningless figure.
"I don't think it means anything. ... I think they're cooking the books on this," said Barrasso on "Fox News Sunday."
As ACA climbs higher, GOP denial digs deeper
Barrasso, Graham, Hannity, Fox's The Five, Limbaugh, The New Republic…
Meet The Obamacare Enrollment Truthers
I don't have time or space for the details here, but the Los Angeles Time has a takedown of the anti-ACA talking points by reporter Mike Hitzik.
Obamacare numbers coming in huge: Here's a guide to GOP excuse-making
I love it when Republicans write the ads for the Democrats themselves.