Wednesday's announcement from the Biden administration comes just days ahead of the official end of the federal open enrollment period.
The full tally is likely to increase in the coming days; Americans have until 5 a.m. Eastern Time on Jan. 17 to enroll in coverage that starts next month.
The White House pointed to the record numbers as evidence of just how many people benefit from the law despite efforts by Republicans and the previous administration to weaken it.
This year's enrollment was also helped by enhanced federal subsidies to help more people afford insurance plans. Congress extended the enhanced subsidies through 2025 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
"The Affordable Care Act is more popular than ever," President Biden said in a statement.
According to federal statistics, 3.7 million people selected plans for the first time, while 16.6 million people either actively returned and selected a plan for 2024 or were automatically re-enrolled.
However, some of the new enrollees came only after they were kicked off Medicaid because of state "unwinding" efforts that began last year. Some people were no longer eligible for Medicaid, while others lost plans for "procedural" reasons.
Still, the White House is eager to push health care to the front of the 2024 presidential campaign. Wednesday's announcement comes after former President Trump has repeatedly resurrected talk of repealing and replacing ObamaCare.
Biden is leaning into lowering health care costs, expanding coverage and picking fights with the drug industry to draw a contrast with Trump, the likely GOP nominee.
In his statement, Biden called out "extreme Republicans" for blocking further efforts to lower costs.
"Their plan would raise costs for millions of people, especially older Americans and small business owners who rely on the marketplace for their coverage, by repealing the improvements I signed into law," Biden said. "In fact, they want to repeal the Affordable Care Act, just as my predecessor tried and failed to do."
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