Obamacare Will Survive (With Some Tweaks)

Next Tuesday will be the start of open enrollment for Obamacare’s state exchanges, which offer health insurance to the 7 percent of Americans who buy their own coverage. It’s an anxious moment for the program: Enrollment is expected to remain significantly less than originally hoped. Some insurers have pulled out of the exchanges altogether. And those that remain have boosted premiums for typical plans by an average of 25 percent.

These problems aren’t great enough to bring the exchanges down. Eighty-five percent of people who participate get federal subsidies, so they will have to pay little more than they did last year. Seventy-seven percent of current enrollees will still be able to buy coverage for $100 a month at most. And in 45 states, more than one insurer will still offer policies. But rising prices and low participation, by insurers and customers alike, are problems that need to be addressed if the exchanges are to succeed.