The Omaha World Herald recently reported that Nebraska has seen a surge in applicants for coverage under the Affordable Health Care Act aka Obamacare.  In its article, Obamacare: Health Plan Enrollment Surges in Iowa, Nebraska, the World Herald reports that, in Nebraska, 14,464 people had enrolled in a plan by the end of December.  That’s more than seven times as many as the 1,965 Nebraskans who had enrolled through the end of November.

At the national level, the number of Americans who had enrolled in a plan went from 364,682 to more than 2.1 million.  Depending who you ask, these numbers either indicate that the system is a bust – as it was estimated a total of 3.3 million people would apply – or tend to show that the system is working – more people are signing up.

However, what is critical is to have a large number of young, healthy applicants.  This drives the cost down for the old-timers.  Less than 25% of those signing up are under 34.  Only time will tell if enough young healthy applicants will choose to apply.