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The number of people who lost jobs and related health coverage and then signed up for Affordable Care Act health plans on the federal website was up 46% this year compared with 2019, representing an increase of 154,000 people, the federal government said in a new report.

The bottom line: The rush of people going to HealthCare.gov was tied to "job losses due to COVID-19," the government said.

Yes, but: Medicaid enrollment due to coronavirus-related job losses appears to be growing even faster than enrollment in ACA plans, according to the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute.

Go deeper: Medicaid will be a coronavirus lifeline

ACA enrollment up 46% due to coronavirus job losses

But Medicaid enrollment appears to be even higher.

A man signs up for health coverage at a table with the help of another person at a computer.

More people are signing up for ACA coverage due to coronavirus layoffs. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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The number of people who lost jobs and related health coverage and then signed up for Affordable Care Act health plans on the federal website was up 46% this year compared with 2019, representing an increase of 154,000 people, the federal government said in a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Forms-Reports-and-Other-Resources/Downloads/SEP-Report-June-2020.pdf" data-vars-content-id="b94f8171-d9ad-4070-99cf-c9259fd92c74" data-vars-headline="ACA enrollment up 46% due to coronavirus job losses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Forms-Reports-and-Other-Resources/Downloads/SEP-Report-June-2020.pdf" target="_blank">new report</a>.The bottom line: The rush of people going to HealthCare.gov was tied to &quot;job losses due to COVID-19,&quot; the government said.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

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After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.