Exchange Enrollment Tops 4.2 Million Through February, but Pace Slackens

Nearly 950,000 Americans selected a health insurance plan through the state and federal exchanges in February. That brought the total to 4.2 million with one month left in the open enrollment period.

Enrollments decreased by just over 200,000—or 18%—from January, when more than 1.1 million individuals enrolled in commercial plans.

But federal officials expressed optimism that there will be another surge as the March 31 deadline for enrollment approaches. Most people who don't have coverage at that point will face a fine of $95 or 1% of their income, whichever is greater.

In 2006, the Obama administration noted, more than 1 million individuals signed up for plans in the final week of the initial enrollment period for the Medicare prescription drug program. In addition, nearly a quarter of federal employees who opted to change their health benefits in 2012 did so during the last two days of the enrollment period.

Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/1cQqrSJ

Source: Modern Healthcare