Obamacare crosses its first hurdle

The first open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act came to an end amid a last-minute sign-up surge that pushed participation beyond 7.1 million.

What happened

President Obama declared victory this week as the first open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act came to an end, amid a last-minute sign-up surge that pushed enrollment in private health insurance plans beyond 7.1 million—higher than the White House’s original goal for the first year. “Armageddon has not arrived,” said Obama in a Rose Garden ceremony, in reference to Republican predictions that Obamacare would be a disaster. “Instead this law is helping millions of Americans, and in the coming years it will help millions more.” The law required individuals to have health insurance by March 31 or face a fine of the greater of either $95 or 1 percent of their taxable income. The technical meltdown of the HealthCare.gov website in October meant that only 106,000 people were able to sign up in the opening month of the state and federal exchanges. In just the final week of enrollment, 1 million signed up. “The Affordable Care Act is here to stay,” Obama said. “The lengths [Republicans] have gone to scare people—I don’t get it.’’

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