![](https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/210517095711-20210517-healthcare-illustration-1-super-tease.jpg)
By reopening the federal exchange this year, the Biden administration was hoping to draw some of the 15 million uninsured people eligible for Affordable Care Act policies — 9 million of whom qualify for federal financial assistance.
Enrollees now pay no more than 8.5% of their income toward coverage, down from nearly 10%. And lower-income policyholders can receive subsidies that eliminate their premiums completely, as can out-of-work Americans who received unemployment benefits this year, depending on the plan they pick.
Also, those earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level — about $51,000 for an individual and $104,800 for a family of four in 2021 — are now eligible for help for the first time.
In addition, 2.6 million consumers have returned to the federal exchange since the extra aid began and lowered their monthly premiums by almost 40%, on average, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said.
Almost 473,000 people who visited the federal exchange were found to be eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP. A record high 81.7 million people are now receiving coverage through those federal programs, up 15.6% since February 2020. Temporary federal rules require states to keep participants continuously enrolled during the public health emergency.
Open enrollment for 2022 coverage starts November 1.