Three things the Illinois media aren’t telling you about ObamaCare enrollments

Media outlets across Illinois have been reporting that the Obama administration is hitting its enrollment targets for the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare. But to see the reality of ObamaCare enrollments, one needs to dig deeper than the Obama administration’s press release. Illinois has only met 40 percent of its enrollment target so...

Media outlets across Illinois have been reporting that the Obama administration is hitting its enrollment targets for the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare. But to see the reality of ObamaCare enrollments, one needs to dig deeper than the Obama administration’s press release.

1. Illinois has only met 40 percent of its enrollment target so far. The reported target of 88,000 enrollments in Illinois by the end of January is based on the administration’s national enrollment target divided by 50. But the real Illinois target should be based on the size of the state’s eligible population. Based on that number, Illinois is at less than 40 percent of its enrollment target.

2. The Obama administration’s enrollment figures are inflated. Instead of counting people who have actually paid for a plan, the administration is counting anyone who put a plan in his shopping cart, but has not necessarily paid, as being enrolled.

In Illinois, only about 89,000 people had “enrolled” in ObamaCare exchanges through the Feb. 1. But that 89,000 estimate would still not tell you the number of people covered. Only the number of people who have actually paid for a plan can tell you who is actually going to be covered.

According to insurers polled by CNNMoney, the actual number of people who have actually paid for their plans is estimated to be anywhere between 12-30 percent lower than the reported “enrolled” number nationally.

3. Illinois’ month-over-month enrollments are not surging. In December, 54,068 people had enrolled in ObamaCare. In January, just 27,491 people had enrolled.

There should be little doubt that ObamaCare enrollments are falling far short of the stated goals.

The Obama administration has been relentless in claiming that ObamaCare has been a success. If that is the case, one has to wonder why they are not reporting paid enrollments. It is time for the administration and the Illinois Department of Insurance to come clean on enrollment numbers.