Hubbard: Alabama’s ObamaCare enrollment wouldn’t even fill Jordan-Hare Stadium

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January 5, 2015

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), just under 65,000 Alabamians acquired health insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace set up under ObamaCare before the Dec. 15 deadline for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2015. 91 percent of those individuals will receive reduced premiums through taxpayer-funded financial assistance.

The Obama Administration has appeared to be reasonably pleased with the growth in signups nationally, especially after they got off to a slow start with the clumsy rollout of HealthCare.gov.

“As we close out 2014, nearly 6.5 million consumers have access to quality, affordable health coverage for 2015 through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said. “Even with the holiday, consumers still found the time to shop, start applications and learn about their options. With the January 15 deadline for February 1 coverage right around the corner, we encourage consumers to continue to visit HealthCare.gov or reach out to the call center to learn about their options and what financial assistance may be available.”

But Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) took to Facebook last week to poke fun at the number of enrollees the Administration secured in the Yellowhammer State, noting that the total number for the entire state wouldn’t even fill up Auburn’s football stadium.

“64,926! That’s how many Alabamians signed up for Obamacare,” he wrote on Facebook, along with the image above. “That wouldn’t even fill Jordan-Hare Stadium. It is ridiculous that the federal government took over our healthcare and caused so many to lose the plan they liked just to see their premiums rise.”

Republicans in Washington, D.C., have been vowing to repeal ObamaCare for the past five years, but with the House and Senate finally in their control, 2015 may be the year they roll out a plan to replace it, at least in part.

And with Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley expressing an openness to working with the Obama Administration to expand Medicaid in some form, the ObamaCare debate will likely be raging here in the state as well.