ObamaCare Sign Ups Fall 85% Short of Goal

Bloomberg puts the best spin possible on the number of November ObamaCare sign ups (these are not yet official enrollees who have paid their first month’s premium) through the federal exchange that covers 36 states. But 100,000 is still dismal. Added together with the 27,000 October federal signs ups, and what you have is ObamaCare at only 15% of its two-month goal.

Thanks to RomneyCare, when the Administration set its two-month enrollment goal at 800,000 for the federal exchange, they did so knowing signs ups are slow in the early months. Still, after two months, the federal exchange is 85% short.

NBC’s Chuck Todd reports that with the state exchanges, November ObamaCare sign ups totaled somewhere between 200,000 to 250,000.

If you are generous and assume the number is 250,000, and add that to October’s 100,000 sign ups; with almost 40% of the enrollment period gone, ObamaCare is only at 5% of its ultimate goal of 7 million.

That 7 million number is not arbitrary. That is the number needed to make the program financially viable.

The distinction between “sign ups’ and “enrolled” is important. Putting ObamaCare in your shopping cart is only the first step. Deciding to follow through from there with an actual payment is the only step that matters. The official enrollment number could fall far short of the sign up number.

 

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