CMS: More than 8.8 million select 2018 health plan at HealthCare.gov

More than 8.8 million people selected a 2018 health plan during open enrollment at HealthCare.gov, including more than 4.1 million people last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported yesterday. The total does not include consumers who enrolled after Dec. 15 due to high volume or through state-based exchanges that use a different enrollment platform. About three-quarters of people selecting plans were renewing coverage and the rest were new consumers. More than 9.2 million people selected a health plan through HealthCare.gov last year, when open enrollment ran through Jan. 31. CMS said it spent $10 million on marketing and outreach this open enrollment, down from $100 million last year, and that call center data showed consumer satisfaction averaged 90%. Thirty-nine states use HealthCare.gov for open enrollment. CMS plans to issue a final enrollment report in March that includes data from all states.