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Healthcare.gov Appears To Be A Good Deal For States

via RI.gov

New Englanders are a frugal bunch, so they may want to take note that when it comes to the Affordable Care Act, healthcare.gov was more efficient than the state-run exchanges.

A new report out from a former Obama Administration official finds that the cost-per-enrollee was lower in federally-run exchanges than in state-run exchanges.

Using the total spent in the 36 states where the federal government was in charge, the average cost-per enrollee was $647. In the state-run exchanges (including D.C.), the average cost was $1,503.

That trend holds in New England, where Maine and New Hampshire had the lowest per-enrollee cost. 

Health Exchange Cost Per ACA Enrollee | Create Infographics

The author of the report (Jay Angoff) offers three takeaways: 

  • The more states in which the federal exchange (healthcare.gov) exists, the more money taxpayers save.
  • Lawmakers who refuse to approve state-run exchanges are, perhaps unintentionally, making the implementation of the ACA more efficient.
  • Much of the money spent on state-run exchanges was not well-spent.
Todd started as a news correspondent with NHPR in 2009. He spent nearly a decade in the non-profit world, working with international development agencies and anti-poverty groups. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.
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