With the help of his administration, 14.5 million Americans will have private health insurance this year under Obama-era health laws, President Joe Biden said Thursday.

“Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege, for all Americans,” Biden said in a statement. “We are realizing this right for a record number of people, reducing costs and increasing access to families across the country.”

But if congressional Democrats remain deadlocked on Biden’s social agenda, progress could be fleeting. Biden’s earlier coronavirus relief bill has been offering generous subsidy increases that benefit new and returning customers by lowering premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The increased financial aid is temporary. It will disappear by the end of 2022 without Congress acting to extend it for a few more years or make it permanent.

Biden said new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed his administration’s efforts to get more people to sign up through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) had an impact. Data shows that between the end of 2020 and September 2021, one in seven uninsured people was insured, with low-income Americans having the highest rate of coverage. That time frame overlaps with the special registrations the Biden administration held for most of last year, excluding the regular registration season in 2022.

The ACA, better known as “Obamacare,” provides health coverage for people who lack job-based coverage by subsidizing private programs and expanding Medicaid, which is offered by most states. Thursday’s numbers reflect the private insurance side of the plan, available in all states through HealthCare.gov or the National Health Insurance Marketplace. All told, the number of people covered by the Obama law is estimated to be around 30 million.

“It didn’t happen by accident,” Biden said. He said his COVID-19 relief bill “has reduced costs and expanded access to health care more than any action since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.”

Not a Modern Healthcare subscriber? Register today.

In addition to improving subsidies, the Biden administration has focused more on outreach, increased the number of admissions counselors and stepped up advertising efforts.

With open enrollment ending in most states, people still looking for coverage will need a specific reason, such as unemployment or a change in family circumstances, to qualify for a special enrollment period.

However, state insurance markets in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., will remain open until Monday.