Final enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act marketplace were released on Monday, the same day the Trump administration told a federal appeals court that the entire law should be struck down.
The numbers show that more Floridians than ever are relying on President Obama’s signature health care law.
More than 1.78 million Floridians signed up for affordable care act plans -- that's an increase of 68,077 compared to last year.
The increase comes during a year when advertising for the plans was slashed as was funding for programs that help people sign up for health insurance. Affordable Care Act plans also had to compete with cheaper, short-term health insurance plans that don't have the same requirements.
But enrollment may have gotten a boost from premiums that dropped for the first time since the Exchanges were created in 2014.
Average total premiums for plans on healthcare.gov dropped by 1.5 percent.
The average monthly premium after tax credits for 2019 was $87, compared to $89 in 2018.
Nationally, 11.4 million people signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. That's down by about 300,000 people.
The number of new customers fell by more than 500,000. That's a worrisome sign for backers of the Affordable Care Act. They say the Trump administration's cuts to the ad budget and repeal of a requirement that people get insured will gradually eat away at the program.
The federal health insurance market, HealthCare.gov, has lost more than 1 million customers since President Donald Trump took office. State markets are holding their own.
The Associated Press Contributed to this story.
