HARTFORD -- Open enrollment is under way, at the state health exchange, amid concerns about the future of the Affordable Care Act, (Obamacare) which President-Elect Trump and congressional Republicans have vowed to replace.
The Obama administration says a little over 1 million people renewed coverage or signed up for the first time through HealthCare.gov around the start of open enrollment.
That enrollment period coincided with a GOP election sweep that's likely to scramble President Barack Obama's signature law.
The overall number is comparable to early sign-ups last year. But the share of new customers is down. They accounted for 24 percent of the total so far this year, compared with 34 percent last year.
President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress want to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The 2010 law has reduced the nation's uninsured rate to a historic low, near 9 percent.
The 2017 early sign-up figures are for Nov. 1-12.
Guest: Jim Wadleigh, CEO, AccessHealthCT
A reminder of the deadlines:
November 1st, 2016: Open enrollment began
December 15th: Deadline to enroll so you start the new year with coverage
January 31st: Open enrollment ends
