Health Affairs October 13, 2020
On October 9, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new report on enrollment trends in the individual market from 2014 to 2019. Even as year-over-year marketplace enrollment has remained steady, enrollment in the individual market among unsubsidized consumers (i.e., consumers whose income does not qualify for premium tax credits to make coverage more affordable) continues to decline.
The report reflects enrollment data in the individual market, both inside and outside of the marketplaces, in all states except Massachusetts and Vermont. The data comes from the Affordable Care Act’s risk adjustment program and effectuated marketplace enrollment data.
Average monthly enrollment peaked in 2016—reaching 14.5 million—but has declined since then. In 2017, enrollment dropped by about 10...