New numbers released by the federal government show just under 92,400 Wisconsinites signed up for health plans during the first month of open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, which ended on December 15th.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says about 42 percent of those signing up were using the federal purchasing exchange for the first time. The rest were on different plans during the first year of the Affordable Care Act, and moved amid warnings they could face higher rates if they stayed on their present plan and did not switch to coverage under Obamacare.
The numbers of signups does not include those who stayed with the initial coverage.
As of two weeks ago, about nine out of every ten Wisconsinites who used the exchange qualified for federal subsidies to reduce their costs. In the first year of the ACA, 88 percent of the 130,000 Wisconsin buyers got subsidies.
The deadline to sign up and receive coverage by January first was December 15th. Open Obamacare enrollment does continue until February 15th, with coverage for those individuals starting in the spring.
