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Obamacare Numbers Remain Strong Despite Shorter Enrollment Window

Signups slipped 3.7 percent, but some expected them to plummet.

Obamacare Numbers Remain Strong Despite Shorter Enrollment Window
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Obamacare enrollment is doing pretty well, despite significant efforts by the Trump administration to hurt the program.

According to the National Academy for State Health Policy, 11.8 million people signed up for 2018 coverage. That's down 3.7 percent from last year, but considering the program's enrollment period was cut in half, its advertising budget was slashed by 90 percent and its support staff was decreased, that loss doesn't seem too bad.

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Some states that operate their own marketplaces even saw enrollment rise, and they attributed higher numbers to strong advertising campaigns.

Rhode Island and Washington saw a 12.1 percent and 7.7 percent increase, respectively, after intensive marketing and outreach efforts.

Florida led the nation in the number of enrollees with 1.7 million.