More Texans than ever before enrolled in ACA health plans in 2024, feds say

(The Texas Tribune) – More Texans than ever have signed up for cheap or free health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act, with more than 1 in 9 residents covered under government-subsidized health plans for 2024, according to federal health data released on Wednesday. In a state that has the highest number of uninsured residents in the nation, public health advocates say it’s an encouraging trend that the number of Texas enrollees in ACA programs climbed by 37% to nearly 3.5 million over last year’s figures. Related Stories Texas enrollment in ACA plans has more than doubled since 2020 and is among the states with the highest rate of enrollment growth for the last three years. The plans were first made available in 2014 and designed to offer more health insurance options for those individuals whose income was not low enough for Medicaid insurance but who could not access insurance through their workplaces. “This is a huge success,” Karla Martinez, a senior policy analyst at Every Texan, a left-leaning policy group, said in a prepared statement. National enrollment hit record highs as well, with more than 16.3 million people signed up for the plans, according to the federal Centers...