Enrollment through Maine’s Affordable Care Act marketplace appears to be down significantly from the same period last year.
From Nov. 1 to Dec. 8, roughly 32,275 Mainers either signed up for individual ACA insurance or actively renewed their policies — down 21 percent from 40,600 Mainers the previous year. The Portland Press Herald reports Sunday is the deadline for 2019 enrollment in Maine.
[Editorial: Don’t let politics dissuade you. It’s time to sign up for health insurance.]
Health care analysts have said the drop may have resulted from the move last year by congressional Republicans to eliminate the ACA’s federal income tax penalty.
Nationally, individual sign-ups for the first month of ACA enrollment totaled 4.1 million, down 12 percent from 4.7 million a year earlier. Figures do not include automatic renewals.