'Obamacare' enrollments jump 59% in Tennessee, one of the highest increases in the nation

The Affordable Care Act remains popular in red-state Tennessee.

The government-subsidized health insurance program saw a whopping 59% increase in enrollments in this state as of Jan. 17, the fifth-highest increase in the nation, according to an analysis by the non-profit health policy group, KFF. A record 555,103 Tennesseans are now enrolled in plans, according to government figures.

Last year, that number was 348,097.

"We had a really busy year," said Leah Jaynes, a federally certified health care navigator in Tennessee. "We had people working very hard to get clients completely enrolled and happy with their plans."

Nationwide, government Marketplace enrollments reached a record 21.3 million people. That's 5 million more than last year, or a 30% increase.

Why the increase?

Experts point to two factors, starting with enhanced subsidies from the Biden administration and Medicaid redetermination. To date in Tennessee, 274,286 people have lost TennCare coverage because they are no longer eligible or they did not prove eligibility, according to the state.

Medicaid income eligibility was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. States resumed income eligibility checks last April.

"One of the main drivers (of increased enrollment this year) is Medicaid unwinding," said Aida Whitfield, director of Get Covered Tennessee.

And, while unemployment remains at record low levels, many of these jobs are part-time and/or don't provide health insurance. The Census Bureau estimated in 2021 that more than 11% of the state's workers don't get health insurance through employers.

"We see a lot of people who are part of the 'gig economy' — a lot of people are Uber and Lyft drivers — people who are working Instacart," Jaynes said. "And we have a lot of people who are employed by small businesses or are owners of small businesses."

Frank Gluck is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at fgluck@tennessean.com. Follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @FrankGluck.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Affordable Care Act enrollments spike high in GOP-heavy Tennessee