Florida has recording-breaking Obamacare enrollment for 2023

Floridians led the nation in enrollment.

Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis aren’t proponents of the Affordable Care Act. But Florida residents have flocked to HealthCare.gov in droves to enroll in a so-called Obamacare plan.

More than 3.22 million Florida residents enrolled in an Obamacare plan through the federal health insurance exchange during the 2023 open enrollment period, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). That is significantly higher than the 2.7 million-plus who enrolled in Obamacare during the 2022 Open Enrollment period.

Jodi Ray, program director of Florida Covering Kids & Families leads the state’s enrollment efforts. Florida Covering Kids & Families partners with 11 organizations to provide Navigator services under the “Covering Florida” moniker.

Ray received an additional $11 million in federal navigator funding for 2023 open enrollment efforts. Ray said the increased funds allowed Cover Florida to increase its radio marketing efforts and also begin using QR codes to distribute information about open enrollment. Moreover, Covering Florida is physically distributing information about 2023 in areas in rural Florida.

Florida accounted for just under 20% of overall enrollment in the federal exchange this year with President Joe Biden’s administration announcing that 16.3 million people nationwide obtained insurance in the 2023 open enrollment period.

Florida’s enrollment in the program far outpaced any other state. Texas, which enrolled more than 2.4 million people, came in a distant second.

Meanwhile, of the 16.3 million people nationwide who joined during the recent open enrollment period, 12.7 million were returning customers and more than 3.6 million were new enrollees.

According to CMS, 92% of HealthCare.gov enrollees had access to options from three or more insurance companies when they shopped for plans. The Inflation Reduction Act helped expand financial assistance, with CMS reporting that 80% of returning customers were able to purchase a health plan for $10 or less a month after tax credits.