Study: 4.2 million uninsured people eligible for free ObamaCare coverage

A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that 4.2 million uninsured people are eligible for ObamaCare coverage at no cost at all.

The study, published Tuesday, finds that those people can find an ObamaCare plan for $0 in premiums due to the financial assistance under the health-care law being high enough to completely cover the cost of the cheapest ObamaCare options, known as bronze plans.

{mosads}The availability of no-cost coverage could be an enticement for more people to sign up for ObamaCare coverage, but a lack of awareness could still be a problem.

“The question is, will they find out about that and sign up before the December 15 deadline in most states?” Larry Levitt, one of the authors of the study, wrote on Twitter.

ObamaCare enrollment is currently running about 10 percent lower than last year. The deadline to sign up for 2019 coverage is this Saturday.

Ironically, part of the reason that so many people are eligible for free coverage after financial assistance is that President Trump canceled key ObamaCare payments last year. That move had the unintended effect of increasing financial assistance to many people, since insurers raised premiums in response to the move and the financial assistance increases when premiums rise.

Despite the availability of free coverage, it could be a better deal for some people to pay somewhat more in premiums and get a more generous silver plan because they would have significantly lower deductibles.