But actually, he thought as he re-adjusted the Ministry of Plenty’s figures, it was not even forgery. It was merely the substitution of one piece of nonsense for another. Most of the material that you were dealing with had no connexion with anything in the real world, not even the kind of connexion that is contained in a direct lie. Statistics were just as much a fantasy in their original version as in their rectified version. A great deal of the time you were expected to make them up out of your head.
For example, the Ministry of Plenty’s forecast had estimated the output of boots for the quarter at 145 million pairs. The actual output was given as sixty-two millions. Winston, however, in rewriting the forecast, marked the figure down to fifty-seven millions, so as to allow for the usual claim that the quota had been overfulfilled. In any case, sixty-two millions was no nearer the truth than fifty-seven millions, or than 145 millions.
A week or so ago the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a semi-final 2025 ACA Open Enrollment Period report, which noted that 23.6 million Americans had selected 2025 plan year coverage via the various ACA marketplaces since November 1st...as of either January 4th or December 28th, depending on the state.
Those thru dates are important, of course, because the 2025 OEP was still ongoing in every state except Idaho at the time...and in fact it's still going on in several of them, including CA, DC, MA, NJ, NY, RI & VA. In some of these states the final deadline is still up to 2 weeks away.
The 2025 ACA Open Enrollment Period (OEP) officially begins on November 1st.
This is the best OEP ever for the ACA for several reasons:
The expanded/enhanced premium subsidies first introduced in 2021 via the American Rescue Plan, which make premiums more affordable for those who already qualified while expanding eligibility to millions who weren't previously eligible, are continuing through the end of 2025 via the Inflation Reduction Act;
A dozen states are either launching, continuing or expanding their own state-based subsidy programs to make ACA plans even more affordable for their enrollees;
Update 12/09/24: As expected, a federal court has shot down the eligibility of DACA recipients to enroll in ACA exchange coverage in the 19 states involved in the lawsuit. In theory the roughly 2/3 of DACA recipients living in the other 31 states +DC should still be eligible.
And remember, millions of people will be eligible for zero premium comprehensive major medical policies.
If you've never enrolled in an ACA healthcare policy before, or if you looked into it a few years back but weren't impressed, please give it another shot now. Thanks to these major improvements it's a whole different ballgame.
Here's some important things to know when you #GetCovered for 2025:
Below I'm posting a similar breakout of total ACA Medicaid Expansion enrollment from January 2014 - June 2024, via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quarterly Medicaid Budget & Expenditure System reports (warning: That link could be broken or blank by the time you read this under the Trump Administration).
Unfortunately, the MBES reports currently only run through June of last year, so the last half of the year is missing.
No further analysis or comment here; I just think this is a pretty cool graphic...and keep in mind that most of the people represented here would have been utterly screwed from early 2020 - early 2023 without the Affordable Care Act being in place when the pandemic hit.
Click the image for a higher-resolution version. I'm not bothering to include the state labels since some would be too difficult to make out, but it starts with Alaska at the bottom and works its way up to West Virginia at the top (remember, neither Alabama nor Wisconsin or Wyoming have expanded Medicaid under the ACA). It also includes Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
There's still likely up to perhaps ~30,000 or so Qualified Health Plan (QHP) enrollments to be added to the 2025 Open Enrollment Period (OEP) tally from the states which haven't reported their final, data (in fact, CA, DC, NJ, NY & RI haven't ended theirs yet), but I decided to throw this together today for the hell of it.
The table below charts the the first twelve years of ACA Open Enrollment Periods, broken out by state. I've also included Basic Health Plan (BHP) enrollment in Minnesota, New York and (new last summer) Oregon, the only states where BHP programs have been implemented to date.
No further analysis or comment here; I just think this is a pretty cool graphic which demonstrates visually how the ACA has grown over time to become firmly embedded into the U.S. healthcare landscape. Source: CMS Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Public Use Files for 2014 - 2024; Semi-final OEP Snapshot Report for 2025 (along with some nominal updates from a few of the state-based exchanges):
Connect for Health Colorado Sets a New Record: 282,483 People Enrolled in Health Insurance for Plan Year 2025
Denver, Colo. – Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, announced today a record 282,483 Coloradans have enrolled in health insurance for plan year 2025, with 80% receiving financial assistance to reduce the cost of their premiums.
The total number of people who enrolled in health insurance plans for 2025 is 19% higher than the number who enrolled in 2024.
Over 110,000 Nevadans got enrolled, marking the largest enrollment in the history of Nevada’s marketplace
CARSON CITY, Nev. – Nevada Health Link has achieved a historic milestone this year with its record-setting Open Enrollment Period for Plan Year 2025. With over 110,000 Nevadans enrolling in affordable and comprehensive health and dental coverage through the state-based marketplace, this achievement underscores the critical importance of providing accessible and affordable health insurance options to Nevadans across the state.
“Reaching the highest enrollment numbers in Nevada Health Link’s history is a milestone we’re incredibly proud of,” said Russell Cook, Executive Director of Nevada Health Link. “Health insurance is more than just a safety net in case of a medical emergency – it's peace of mind, financial security, and, ultimately, a pathway to better health outcomes for individuals and families across our state. This record-setting enrollment underscores the importance of our mission to prioritize the well-being of Nevada’s communities.”
Vulnerable House Republicans warn leaders against cutting Obamacare
The group of centrists also said the party needed to be careful about deep cuts to social safety net programs.
House Republicans in competitive districts warned GOP leaders Thursday: We could lose our seats if you gut Obamacare to pay for a massive border, energy and tax bill.
A group of about a dozen centrist Republicans...worry GOP efforts to pare back the Affordable Care Act could pour fuel on the fire.
...Instead, they argued, Republicans needed to embrace the GOP’s role as the working class party. Leaders would counter that message by slashing programs working Americans rely on, they said. GOP lawmakers in the room included Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Young Kim (Calif.), David Valadao (Calif.), Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.), Tom Barrett (Mich.) and Don Bacon (Neb.).
Health care spending in the US reached $4.9 trillion and increased 7.5 percent in 2023, growing from a rate of 4.6 percent in 2022. In 2023, private health insurance and Medicare spending grew faster than in 2022, while Medicaid spending and enrollment growth slowed as the COVID-19 public health emergency ended. The health sector’s share of the economy in 2023 was 17.6 percent, which was similar to its share of 17.4 percent in 2022 but lower than in 2020 and 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A flurry of scientific gatherings and panels across federal science agencies were canceled on Wednesday, at a time of heightened sensitivity about how the Trump administration will shift the agencies’ policies and day-to-day affairs.
Several meetings of National Institutes of Health study sections, which review applications for fellowships and grants, were canceled without being rescheduled, according to agency notices reviewed by STAT. A Feb. 20-21 meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, a panel that advises the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services on vaccine policy, was also canceled. So was a meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria that was scheduled for Jan. 28 and 29.
The scope of the cancellations was unclear. It was also unclear whether they were related to the Trump administration’s freeze on external communications until Feb. 1.
