‘Obamacare’ sign-up tally dips slightly to 8.7M

WASHINGTON — The government says more than 8.7 million people have signed up for coverage next year under the Obama-era health care law, exceeding expectations for a program that President Donald Trump has unsuccessfully tried to repeal.

The final tally released Thursday for the 39 HealthCare.gov states showed about 80,000 fewer sign-ups than an initial count provided last week. A spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the slight dip was due to late cancellations.

Still, HealthCare.gov enrollment reached nearly 95 percent of last year’s level, outperforming expectations in a show of consumer demand.

A complete national tally may not be available until March, as states running their own health insurance markets are continuing to sign up consumers. In California and New York, enrollment season ends Jan. 31.