An estimated 397,000 Pennsylvanians signed up for health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for 2018, just a seven percent dip from last year, writes Joel Wolfram for WHYY.

Some people feared that a shorter enrollment period for 2018, and a general feeling of uncertainty surrounding the law, would significantly reduce the number of enrollees. Others believe the enrollment signups for 2018 actually indicate the plans are still popular.

“There is an overwhelming demand for the Affordable Care Act and for folks to be able to enroll in quality, affordable coverage, despite all of the efforts to kind of undermine the law,” said Antoinette Kraus, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network.

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Under the Trump Administration, the ACA enrollment period, which ended Dec. 15, 2017, was cut in half. Federal funds available to help promote ACA enrollment also were cut.

Enrollment numbers in New Jersey and Delaware dropped 5.5 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively. Enrollment numbers for health insurance in the 38 states using the federal Healthcare.gov exchange were down four percent.

Read more about the Affordable Care Act at WHYY by clicking here.

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