Nearly 102K Louisianians Enrolled at HealthCare.gov, But More Than 240K Still Stuck in Jindal Gap

BATON ROUGE — Nearly 102,000 Louisianians have enrolled through the Health Insurance Marketplace, according to numbers released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which means Louisiana more than doubled the number of enrollees in just the final month of March.

“Today’s announcement that more than 100,000 Louisianians have enrolled at HealthCare.gov is a huge win for the Affordable Care Act in our state,” said Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Carter Peterson. “Louisianians like Tierney in New Orleans have gotten covered despite having a pre-existing condition that disqualified them from coverage before the Affordable Care Act. Louisianians like Debra of Baton Rouge are saving hundreds of dollars every month on their premiums because of the Affordable Care Act. This is great for the health of the people of our state and for our economy, as now Louisianians have the freedom to start new businesses without the fear of losing their coverage.

“However, we cannot forget more than 240,000 Louisianians who Gov. Bobby Jindal is leaving trapped in the ‘Jindal gap’ because he is refusing to accept billions in federal Medicaid dollars. Because our governor has chosen politics over people, many working Louisianians will struggle with poor health, chronic conditions, spiraling medical bills and bankruptcy. Many will suffer needlessly, and yes, some will die.

“Looking at the enrollment numbers released today, it’s obvious the Affordable Care Act has been a great deal for Louisiana — and it would be an even better deal if we simply let Louisiana decide to close the Jindal gap.”

Overall 101,738 Louisianians enrolled in the Health Insurance Marketplace from Oct. 1, 2013, through March 31, 2014. Prior to March, approximately 45,000 Louisianians had enrolled. About nine in 10 Louisianians received financial assistance with their premiums.

Women made up 59 percent of enrollees in Louisiana, while men were 41 percent. About one-third of Louisiana’s enrollees were age 18 to 34. That’s a better percentage than the nation overall, where 28 percent of enrollees were in that age group.

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