Sebelius also said her department wasn’t worrying about a “pretty dismal” effort by politically conservative groups to discourage young people from signing up. Two months before enrollment begins for the online exchanges, the project is on schedule, she told reporters on an Aug. 5 conference call.
“We are on target and ready to flip the switch on Oct. 1,” Sebelius said. The markets “are already increasing competition and giving consumers a better deal.”
As of June, proposed monthly premiums in nine states for the benchmark level of medical coverage were less than congressional estimates, according to a study at the time from Avalere Health, a Washington-based consulting company.
The reported premiums and subsidies are what customers can expect for plans that go on sale Oct. 1 and take effect Jan. 1, 2014. About 24 million people are expected to get their coverage from exchange plans by 2023, according to the Congressional Budget Office.