Why Millions Of Americans Are Paying Extra To Avoid ObamaCare

IBD reports:

The very existence of the off-exchange market is the result of a strategic concession by ObamaCare's architects. When they designed the law, Democrats wanted to avoid the political consequences of forcing the entire individual market to buy coverage through government-run marketplaces. So they "graciously" allowed insurers to continue to sell policies directly to consumers.

These off-exchange plans were never expected to be popular, especially compared to the government's marketplaces. As recently as 2013, the Congressional Budget Office was projecting that 24 million Americans would buy insurance through ObamaCare's exchanges by 2016. The CBO didn't even bother to predict enrollment figures for off-exchange plans.

Those projections missed the mark. Last year, off-exchange enrollment — 9 million — was within 1 million of that inside the exchanges. Some 2.5 million people have purchased off-exchange coverage even though they would've qualified for income-based subsidies through the exchanges. Almost half this group may also be eligible for additional federal subsidies aimed at reducing out-of-pocket costs for low-income individuals.

Imagine that.