Revised data show 17.6M Americans gained coverage under Obamacare

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Revised government data show 17.6 million Americans have gained coverage under the Affordable Care Act, up more than 1 million from a March estimate.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia M. Burwell made the announcement Tuesday during a speech at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C.

"Five years in, millions of people have new coverage and the percentage of the uninsured has been reduced to the lowest level on record," Burwell said, according to a press release. "We now have a new opportunity before us to build on this progress."

In March, HHS estimated 16.4 million uninsured Americans had gained coverage under the law.

Around the same time, the Congressional Budget Office estimated about 17 million Americans would gain coverage under the ACA by 2015.

Burwell acknowledged the open enrollment period, beginning Nov. 1, would be "tougher than last year" but noted that HHS was "working smarter to reach" the more than 10.5 million uninsured Americans who are eligible for coverage in the upcoming period.

"We know current marketplace customers are satisfied with their coverage, and we expect most to continue with it," Burwell said. "We also believe we can continue to connect people with the coverage they need and further decrease the number of Americans without health insurance."