About 2.8 million enroll for health coverage during COVID sign-up, says Joe Biden

On Wednesday, United States President Joe Biden announced that 2.8 million people took advantage of a special six-month time to sign up for subsidised health insurance coverage which was made more economical by the COVID-19 relief law. He called the number encouraging and urged Congress to continue the trend by extending the more generous financial aid, which is presently only available through the end of next year, according to Associated Press (AP).

"As of now 2.8 million families have registered who will have more security, breathing room, and money in their pockets in the event of an illness or accident," stated Biden adding that in total, 12.2 million Americans have signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, which is an all-time record, reported AP. 

Due to increased subsidies under the COVID-19 relief law, HealthCare.gov plans became much less expensive in April this year. Meanwhile, the number of people covered by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program has increased to more than 82 million. President Biden had instructed the HealthCare.gov marketplace to reopen on February 15 for six months to allow uninsured people to sign up for coverage for themselves and their families during the pandemic. That coverage then became more affordable in April due to enhanced subsidies in COVID-19 relief law.

President Biden intends to achieve universal health coverage in US

Biden claimed that the subsidies in his COVID-19 relief law had helped those currently enrolled in ACA plans as they save roughly $67 a month in premiums, and that 4 out of 10 new customers received coverage for $10 a month or less during the special sign-up session. Biden, who was vice president when the healthcare bill was passed, wants to build on existing programmes to achieve universal coverage in the United States.

His $3.5 trillion domestic agenda package would make the higher subsidies for HealthCare.gov plans permanent, as well as provide a workaround for the more than 2 million low-income uninsured people who have been denied coverage in several states that have refused to expand Medicaid. The annual sign-up period under the healthcare law will not begin again until November 1. The law has now joined Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance as a permanent component of government programmes providing coverage to almost 145 million people, despite Republican efforts to abolish it or have it struck down by the Supreme Court.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP