Obamacare Has Managed to Survive, But Can It Thrive?

November is here, and in most U.S. states that means the start of open enrollment, the sign-up period for obtaining insurance via the U.S. Affordable Care Act’s exchanges. It also means we’re a few days away from an election where health care has taken center stage. One thing that’s likely to be strengthened, rather than put in existential peril for once, is this key part of President Obama’s signature law.

Enrollment is likely to decline modestly for the third year in a row after a GOP tax bill zeroed out the individual mandate, eliminating the financial penalty for those who didn’t sign up for insurance. But if you look beyond the headline numbers, the individual market is increasingly stable, and, depending on how the midterm elections go, may only become more so under a friendlier Congress.