“A new report by Accenture estimates 6 million people enrolled in private health insurance exchanges for their 2015 employer benefits. These findings show private health insurance exchanges – an online marketplace for people to choose their employer-sponsored benefits – doubled enrollment this year, up from 3 million in 2014. Accenture’s findings show midsize employers, defined as companies with 100 to 2,500 employees, contributed most to the adoption of private health exchanges increase. Based on its research, Accenture forecasts that enrollment in private health insurance exchanges will grow to 12 million in 2016 and 22 million in 2017. As previously forecasted, Accenture expects total enrollment in private exchanges to ultimately surpass state and federally funded exchanges, reaching 40 million by 2018. “We remain optimistic that several factors will catalyze enrollment growth in private health insurance exchanges through 2018, said Rich Birhanzel, managing director for Accenture Health Administration Services. “This is especially true as the market matures, employers gain more control of benefit design and evidence continues mounting on the tangible benefits of the model.”