51,500 Iowans sign up for health insurance through Affordable Care Act exchange

More than 12 million Americans and 51,500 Iowans signed up for subsidy-eligible insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace during the open enrollment period ending Jan. 31, according to figures released Wednesday morning by the federal government.

That's despite conversations taking place in Washington, D.C., to repeal and replace the ACA, also known as Obamacare.

Last week, House Republicans unveiled their plan - the American Health Care Act - which would tie tax credits to age rather than income as well as roll back federal funding for the Medicaid expansion starting in 2020 and move the entitlement program to a per capita cap, among other changes.

In Iowa, there were more than 16,800 new enrollees on the exchange and 34,700 re-enrollees, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Demographic information shows that nearly 24,000 rural Iowans and another 27,700 non-rural residents signed up for insurance. Nearly 80 percent of Iowans who signed up for insurance on the exchange were eligible for subsidies.

The average premium was $471, but that fell to $160 after subsidies were applied.

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