The deadline to sign up for health insurance on the federal marketplace for 2019 is fast approaching.
Saturday is the last day of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act. Since Nov. 1, when open enrollment began, 4.1 million people have chosen health plans on the exchange. That’s down about 11 percent from the same time last year.
In North Carolina, signups are down about 14 percent compared to last year. In South Carolina, signups are down about 4 percent. Among the possible reasons for the decrease in enrollments, Americans no longer face a tax penalty if they don’t get insurance. And with unemployment at a 50-year low, more people may be getting insurance through their employers.
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found many people who are eligible to get plans on the federal exchange are unaware of the enrollment dates. The poll also found almost 300,000 uninsured people in North Carolina who are eligible to get plans that come without monthly premiums.
