The Journal reported:

“The Obama administration was closing out the latest sign-up period for coverage under the health law on Sunday, already heralding a late rush of applicants for private coverage. They put the administration well on track to exceed targets of having 10 million people enrolled in plans bought through HealthCare.gov and state equivalents at year-end, up from nine million at the end of 2015.

“From here, making a bigger dent in the uninsured rate will likely hinge on Medicaid sign-ups, an area that has gotten little formal attention. Federal officials have focused on continuing to expand eligibility for Medicaid and will soon ask Congress for fresh financial incentives for the 20 states that hadn’t agreed to do so at the start of 2016.”

“There are about three million people who now can’t get government-funded insurance because their states haven’t extended Medicaid eligibility, and they don’t make enough money to qualify for private coverage. Still, they are significantly outnumbered by those… who have chosen not to enroll.”