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There has been a steep drop in Obamacare insurance numbers, halfway through the sign-up season for 2019, raising concerns that the Trump administration’s controversial policy changes are undermining the marketplaces. The 9.2 percent drop to roughly 100,000 sign-ups per day has surprised close observers of the Obamacare markets, who expected the number of customers to remain fairly stable even after Republicans eliminated the unpopular individual mandate penalties for being uninsured. Premium hikes were fairly low in most states for 2019, and many parts of the country saw an increase in consumer choice as more health plans participated in what they now see as a more profitable, stabilizing market. (Demko, 11/28)

The decline in signups follows an effort by the Trump administration to promote cheaper coverage with fewer consumer protections, which critics called an attempt to undermine Obamacare. Congress also lifted the individual-mandate penalty for going without health insurance -- a fee of 2.5 percent of income that was intended to discourage healthy people from waiting until they got sick to purchase coverage. That change takes effect in 2019. (Tozzi, 11/28)

The Trump administration has cut funding for advertising and enrollment support for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, the fate of the Affordable Care Act — commonly known as Obamacare — was heatedly debated through much of 2017, increasing its profile ahead of last year’s open enrollment period and potentially spurring sign-ups. The GOP-controlled Congress “spent the entire year trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act” in 2017, said Stacey Pogue, a senior policy analyst for the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank. “It’s possible that a lot of the attention given to the ACA raised awareness” and fueled enrollment. (Sechler, 11/28)

Top House Democrats are blaming President Trump for ObamaCare signup numbers that so far are lower than last year. "While there are still two weeks remaining in Open Enrollment, these lagging numbers show that Republicans' sabotage of our nation's health care system is working,” said Reps. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the incoming chairmen of the three committees overseeing the Affordable Care Act. (Sullivan, 11/28)

Illinois consumers will only be able to use controversial, short-term health insurance plans for about six months at a time now that the state legislature has voted to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill that sets that limit. Dozens of Illinois consumer advocacy groups had supported the original bill, which took aim at a recent Trump administration change to the rules surrounding short-term plans. Such plans are generally cheaper than traditional health insurance but cover fewer services. (Schencker, 11/28)