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Policy

The White House Inflated Obamacare Enrollment Figures By Counting 400,000 Dental Plans

Peter Suderman | 11.20.2014 3:41 PM

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Since the end of Obamacare's first open enrollment period earlier this year, enrollment data has been sparse. The administration stopped releasing monthly reports, and has provided enrollment updates sporadically, with little context or detail.

And, it turns out, at least one of the counts was wrong, artifically inflated by the inclusion of almost 400,000 dental plans that the administration now claims were mistakenly included.

When Medicare administrator Marilyn Tavenner appeared before Congress in September, she said that 7.3 million people were currently enrolled. That number was boosted by the inclusion of 380,000 dental plans that should not have been included, Bloomberg News reported today.

The inclusion of the dental plans at that time pushed the total over the administration's stated goal of 7 million enrolled. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said on Twitter today that the inclusion of those plans was a "mistake" and "unacceptable." 

The administration later reported that 7.1 million people were still enrolled, but according to Bloomberg News, the total number of enrollees as of October 15 is about 6.7 million. At the end of the first open enrollment period, the administration repeatedly touted its success at getting 8 million sign-ups during the first year. 

What the new figures reveal, then, is the fragility and instability of that initial figure. Not only did the number of enrollments continue to drop during and after the summer, the figure wasn't as high as reported in post-open-enrollment updates. This is probably at least one reason why enrollment targets for the second enrollment period were recently slashed by about 50 percent.

Obamacare's second open enrollment period started last Saturday, but enrollment data so far remains sparse. About 100,000 applicatons were sent in to the system on Saturday, but as Jeffrey Young of The Huffington Post notes, it's not clear how many of those people actually went ahead and selected a plan. The Department of Health and Human Services declined a request for further information from The Washington Post. 

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Peter Suderman is features editor at Reason.

PolicyObamacare
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  1. Florida Man   11 years ago

    Leave Obama Alone! Leave him ALONE!!!
    /cries hysterically into camera

  2. Andrew S.   11 years ago

    Stealing from Charles CW Cooke at NRO...

    Gosh, that really was an astonishingly lucky mistake, wasn't it? The administration made an error that just happened to push their enrollment numbers above their predicted number. What are the chances!

  3. Idle Hands   11 years ago

    just roll with it.

    -anonbot

    1. Swiss Servator, spare a franc?   11 years ago

      Jsut liek a person to spel this wronghe!

  4. Palin's Buttplug   11 years ago

    Seven million on Obamacare?

    ITS A GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER!!

    1. Swiss Servator, spare a franc?   11 years ago

      40 MILLYUNZ UNINSURED WITHOUT HEALTHCAREZ DYING IN THE STREEETZ!!!

      /O!care passage derp

      1. Florida Man   11 years ago

        BURN!

      2. Faceless Commenter   11 years ago

        +1 miraculously cured blind orphan

    2. Acosmist   11 years ago

      So you're spinning the utter failure of it as a good thing.

      Please, please get back on your meds.

    3. Jordan   11 years ago

      300 million who are now legally required to purchase insurance, and only insurance that meets a stringent set of new requirements? Oh yeah, that really does sound like a takeover.

    4. Riesen   11 years ago

      +8%

    5. Sevo   11 years ago

      Palin's Buttplug|11.20.14 @ 3:49PM|#
      "Seven million on Obamacare?"

      Turd, you misspelled "eight percent".

    6. ?rboles de la Barranca   11 years ago

      PB -- you realize that you are one of the voters that Gruber was referring to, right? Then again, maybe you don't realize it.

  5. Acosmist   11 years ago

    So long dental plan!

    1. Swiss Servator, spare a franc?   11 years ago

      +1 Big Book of British Smiles

      1. Mr. Soul   11 years ago

        Lisa needs braces!

    2. NoVAHockey   11 years ago

      Thanks a lot, Carl Acosmist. Now I've lost my train of thought.

    3. Sarcasmancer   11 years ago

      I specifically created an account just to post this comment. And you beat me to it.

      Bastard.

      1. Banjos   11 years ago

        Well you shouldn't have spent so much time coming up with your handle.

  6. tarran   11 years ago

    Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said on Twitter today that the inclusion of those plans was a "mistake" and "unacceptable."

    And what are the consequences of this unacceptable behavior?

    1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

      the shame that they feel everyday for making an honest mistake.

    2. Mr. Soul   11 years ago

      consequences, schmosquences! As long as I'm rich.

    3. Riven   11 years ago

      Maybe this?

    4. Rich   11 years ago

      And what are the consequences of this unacceptable behavior?

      A new dental plan?

  7. flye   11 years ago

    She'll take full accountability, which amounts to announcing she'll take full accountability.

  8. Len Bias   11 years ago

    Well, if everyone supported ObamaCare, it wouldn't be necessary to lie about it, now would it?

  9. creech   11 years ago

    Any further updates on the percentages who sign up but fail to make first or subsequent premium payments?

    1. dantheserene   11 years ago

      How would releasing that information benefit the administration?
      In other words, No.

  10. Longtorso, Johnny   11 years ago

    Taking advantage of Americans' stupidity about not being to tell dental and health insurance apart?

  11. Adamsmith1776   11 years ago

    In the words of Hillary "What difference does it make."

  12. MikeP   11 years ago

    Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said on Twitter today...

    Was LOLCats down?

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