The number of sign-ups through HealthCare.gov during the first week is "roughly double" the pace of the previous year. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo Obamacare sign-ups surge despite Trump cuts

Obamacare’s open-enrollment season is off to a booming start despite widespread fears the Trump administration is seeking to sabotage the sign-up period.

The number of individuals signing up for coverage through HealthCare.gov during the first week of open enrollment is “roughly double” the pace of the previous year, according to an HHS source familiar with the enrollment data.


It’s way too early to determine whether more Americans will ultimately sign up for coverage this season. One big reason to treat the initial surge with caution: The enrollment period is just six weeks long, half the length of last year’s sign-up period.

But the early outpouring suggests that fears that the Trump administration’s actions — particularly gutting federal spending on outreach and marketing — would lead to a lackluster sign-up period may be overblown. Analysts at Standard & Poor's projected that up to 1.6 million fewer Americans could sign up for coverage through HealthCare.gov this year, down from 12.2 million enrollments last year.

President Donald Trump’s decision to eliminate subsidy payments to insurers also sparked widespread concern that skyrocketing premiums would depress enrollment. But more than 8 in 10 Obamacare customers qualify for premium assistance, which means they’re largely protected from the big rate hikes. And Trump’s action inadvertently led to nearly every county in the country having at least one free plan that low-income customers can sign up for due to more generous subsidies, according to an analysis by Avalere Health.

Initial data also suggests that state-based exchanges are off to a promising start to the enrollment season.

Idaho officials say that web traffic spiked by 10 percent and call center volume was up 5 percent during the first three days of open enrollment, compared with the same period last year. Similarly, Washington state has seen a 19 percent increase in web traffic so far this sign-up period.

“It’s really, really encouraging,” said Pat Kelly, executive director of Your Health Idaho. “We’re really cautiously optimistic about the direction we’re headed.”