Six months after the Biden administration opened a special enrollment period, 2.8 million more Americans have health care plans through the Affordable Care Act, the White House said Wednesday.

To help people who had lose their their health care coverage during the pandemic, President Joe Biden ordered that sign-ups be accepted through HealthCare.gov and state-based marketplaces from Feb. 15 to Aug. 15. The nearly 3 million new enrollments bring the number of Americans who have coverage under the ACA to 12.2 million, an all-time high.

“The peace of mind that comes from having affordable, quality health coverage should be a right — not a privilege — for every American,” Biden said in a statement Tuesday. “For the past decade, the Affordable Care Act has allowed millions of Americans to sleep more soundly at night, knowing that they will be covered should the worst occur.

The 2.8 million people now covered under the ACA “will have more security, more breathing room, and more money in their pocket if an illness or accident hits home,” the president added. 

Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed by Congress in March, included enhanced tax credits that lowered premiums for millions of Americans who buy their coverage through the ACA, often colloquially referred to as “Obamacare.” 

According to the White House, those subsidies have cut ACA premiums by an average of $67 a month, or about $800 a year. More than four in 10 Americans signed up for plans that cost $10 or less each month. And out-of-pocket spending has declined “dramatically” due to cutting the median deductible for new enrollees from $750 to $50.

Biden called on Congress to pass his Build Back Better plan, which would make the ACA tax cuts permanent, lower prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices and offer federally administered Medicaid in states that have declined to expand the program. 

The White House estimates that closing the Medicaid coverage gap and extending the tax credits could ensure health coverage for 7 million more Americans.

“I urge Congress to act quickly to deliver for the American people — to keep up the vital work of expanding access and lowering health care costs across the board, and to continue building on the strong foundation of the Affordable Care Act,” Biden said.