Medicaid sign-ups are up 3M

WASHINGTON - Three million lower-income Americans have enrolled in the Medicaid program for the poor so far during the rollout of President Obama's health-care law, the administration announced on Friday.

That brings to more than 10 million the number of people who have signed up for both public and private health coverage since Oct. 1 under the Affordable Care Act. This week, the White House said there were 7.1 million sign-ups as of March 31 for private plans through new web-based marketplaces operating in all 50 states, a total that exceeded most expectations. More were partially enrolled at the deadline and not yet counted.

The higher figures have given a boost to Obama and his allies against Republicans and other critics by demonstrating stronger-than-expected demand for the benefits available under the new law.

"The increase in Medicaid enrollments across the country is encouraging," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a blog post.

The latest data are the closest yet to actual enrollment figures for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program from Oct. 1 through Feb. 28 for 46 states that have reported statistics to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

But it is likely to be months before differences in how states report data are ironed out and accurate numbers are counted. Friday's report, for example, showed that 10 times as many people had been determined eligible for Medicaid and CHIP in Pennsylvania, which has not expanded Medicaid to a broader population, than in New Jersey, one of the 26 states that has.

An HHS spokeswoman said that Pennsylvania's data include some renewals, which most states do not. And New Jersey's data excluded determinations made by the state, which could be a substantial proportion of the total; most states include them.

Friday's report did not specify the number of Americans who have gained health coverage for the first time through Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, which has been accepted in some form by 26 states. Administration officials said they expect to produce a breakdown in the coming weeks.

Nationally, Friday's report did not separate numbers for Americans who got coverage for the first time through Obamacare's Medicaid expansion.

The current data includes people who qualify for Medicaid programs that have existed for decades.

Medicaid enrollment has been brisker in states that are expanding the program - with a rate 8.3 percent higher than before Oct. 1. States that have not expanded Medicaid have seen enrollment rise by only 1.6 percent.

Medicaid, which is overseen by the federal government but administered by states, has long provided health coverage to only a fraction of America's poor. In many states, Medicaid coverage is available largely to pregnant women and the severely disabled. CHIP is a sister program of Medicaid designed specifically for low-income children.

Obamacare calls for expanding Medicaid to all low-income Americans earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which currently stands at $11,670 a year for an individual and $23,850 for a family of four.

The law originally required all states to expand Medicaid. But a landmark 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling made the decision optional.

All told, the administration said 11.7 million people have qualified for Medicaid and CHIP from Oct. 1 through February, up from 8.9 million reported for January.

The deadline for acquiring private health insurance through the Obamacare marketplaces expired on March 31. But under Medicaid, people can apply for coverage at any time.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that 8 million people will sign up for Medicaid coverage under the Obamacare expansion this year.

The CBO originally projected 7 million private enrollees by this week's deadline, but scaled back its forecast to 6 million after last autumn's botched launch of the federal marketplace website, HealthCare.gov.