Healthcare.gov enrollment up about one third over last year

Jayne O'Donnell | USA TODAY

More than 8.2 million consumers signed up for health coverage through HealthCare.gov or had their coverage automatically renewed, as millions more selected plans through state-based market places, the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.

It's about a one-third improvement from this time last year, when about 6.4 million had signed up for coverage or been automatically renewed. Healthcare.gov handles the enrollment for 38 states.

Although an official overall number is not available yet, Charles Gaba of ACAsignups.net says when all states' are added, he estimates total enrollment through Dec. 19 is up to at least 10.9 million nationally. The confirmed total to date for states that have reported numbers is 9.3 million, he says.

In a call with with enrollment assistants Tuesday, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell emphasized that she was also very encouraged by the 1 million young people who signed up this year compared to last year's open enrollment. This will improve the risk pool of consumers to help create a "stronger, more stable" market, she said. Major insurers have complained they aren't making money on the exchanges, due in part to more sick, older people signing up in the earlier enrollment periods than healthy, young people.

The average age of a consumer during this enrollment period is lower through the deadline for January 1st coverage this year than through the deadline in the last enrollment period, HHS says. There are nearly twice as many consumers under the age of 35 ahead of the deadline for January 1 coverage this year compared to last. By the end of the first deadline for open enrollment this year on Dec. 17, there were about 2.1 million HealthCare.gov consumers under 35, compared to about 1.1 million before the first deadline last year.

Consumers can still sign up for insurance until Jan. 31, but they won't have coverage effective Jan. 1 in most states.