California tacks on another 14K QHPs yesterday, EXTENDS DEADLINE to 12/17!

Just yesterday, Covered California reported 1.2 million renewals (including auto-renewals) of current ACA exchange enrollees, plus another 139,000 new QHP enrollments.

Today they've updated that to tack on another 14,000 new QHPs yesterday alone, bringing the grand total up to around 1,353,000 to date:

Covered California Extends Enrollment Deadline as Consumer Interest Continues to Grow

• Consumers now have until midnight on Dec. 17 to sign up for health care coverage that will begin on Jan. 1.

• More than 25,000 new consumers selected a plan during the past two days, which is more than enrolled at this time last year.

• Open-enrollment plan selections continue to surge ahead of last year’s pace.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thanks to a strong increase in demand, Covered California is giving consumers more time to sign up for health coverage that will start on Jan. 1.

Over the past two days, Covered California has seen nearly double the number of new consumers enroll compared to the same two days last year. More than 11,000 consumers signed up on Monday and nearly 14,000 signed up on Tuesday. The two-day total of more than 25,000 new enrollees surpasses the number of consumers who signed up between Dec. 12 and 13, 2015, when more than 13,000 consumers enrolled.

The surge in enrollment brings this year’s total to more than 153,000 new enrollees. In comparison, Covered California had 144,000 people sign up by this time last year.

“This strong demand shows that Californians are using the competitive marketplace that Covered California provides,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “We are ahead of last year’s pace and are giving our Service Center staff and certified enrollers the time they need to bring health care coverage to thousands more.”

Consumers now have until midnight on Saturday, Dec.17 to sign up and have their coverage start on Jan. 1.

I'm guessing they'll add perhaps 20K today, 25K or so tomorrow, and another 30K or so on Friday/Saturday for a total of around 1.43 million by the (extended) 12/17 deadline for January coverage.