About 800,000 people are expected to enroll in the new online health insurance marketplaces by the end of November, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said Tuesday at a congressional hearing. A CMS official said later that estimate includes people signing up for Medicaid as well as private insurance.
In a testimony to a Senate committee, Tavenner said the agency for the first time will release detailed enrollment figures for all 50 states next week. She said CMS then would release enrollment data monthly.
Open enrollment in the online marketplaces runs through March, though people must sign up by Dec. 15 to have coverage starting Jan. 1. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that about 7 million people will sign up for private coverage in the first year. Another 9 million people were expected to enroll in Medicaid, which is being expanded under the Affordable Care Act. . .