WASHINGTON — The number of people signing up for insurance on the federal HealthCare.gov website declined slightly this year, the Trump administration reported on Wednesday, but a last-minute surge in enrollment showed that Americans were still eager for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. In the open enrollment period that ended on Saturday, the number of sign-ups totaled 8.45 million, down from 8.82 million at the same point last year, a drop of about 367,000, or 4 percent, despite warnings that a more precipitous drop could be in the offing. Democrats have repeatedly accused President Trump of sabotaging the Affordable Care Act and its marketplace by promoting short-term health policies with skimpier coverage, substantially cutting enrollment promotion efforts and nearly eliminating funds for “navigators” who help potential enrollees through the process. Congress also zeroed out the health law’s penalty for not being covered, starting in 2019. But Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that “enrollment remained steady through HealthCare.gov.”

Source: New York Times December 20, 2018 01:07 UTC