Days before the end of open enrollment, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges have enrolled 6 million people, achieving the most recent Congressional Budget Office benchmark, according to a report from The Hill.
President Barack Obama announced the news during a conference call with navigators and volunteers.
Analysts previously doubted the exchanges would be able to sign up 6 million people by the end of the 2014 open enrollment period on Monday: Earlier this month, Avalere released an analysis estimating only 5.4 million would sign up for health plans through the exchanges by the end of the 2014 open enrollment period.
However, this week, USA Today reported Avalere CEO Dan Mendelson said his company had changed its estimate based on marketing efforts by federal officials and advocacy groups — such as President Obama's plug for HealthCare.gov on the popular FunnyorDie.com webseries "Between Two Ferns" — and a surge of visitors to HealthCare.gov.
Still, although 6 million people have signed up for plans, analysts estimate that 1 million of them have not yet paid their first monthly premium, meaning they don't have coverage yet, according to The Hill.
Open enrollment ends March 31, although the Obama administration recently announced it will extend the deadline for certain people who can demonstrate they weren't able to get health insurance because of errors on the part of HHS or HealthCare.gov.
More Articles on PPACA Enrollment:
Analysts: PPACA Could Meet or Exceed 6M Enrollment Goal
PPACA Enrollment Deadline Extended for Those Hindered by Technical Problems
PPACA Enrollment Reaches 5M