Houston Chronicle by Jenny Deam Dec. 14, 2018
As the sixth annual regular enrollment period closes Saturday for individual plans on the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange, it appears that the number of Texans signing up will again be down, perhaps sharply.
Going into the final week of the enrollment period, there were roughly 6 percent fewer people in the state choosing plans than a comparable time from a year ago, according to figures from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released this week.
As of Dec. 8, the last week figures were available, a total of 542, 589 people in Texas had signed up for plans. That compares with 570,688 by Dec. 9, 2017.
But some say there are also political factors at play including an almost total lack of federally-funded advertising under the Trump administration to remind people to sign up, the slash in grants to help people navigate the choices, and the removal of the penalty for not having insurance. Another could be the loosening of regulations on cheaper but less comprehensive plans.
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