Inverse bremsstrahlung has been incorporated into an analytical model of the expanding corona of a laser-irradiated spherical target. Absorption decreases slowly with increasing intensity, in agreement with some numerical simulations, and contrary to estimates from simple models in use up to now, which are optimistic at low values of intensity and very pessimistic at high values. Present results agree well with experimental data from many laboratories; substantial absorption (>0.5) is found up to moderate intensities, say below 1015 W cm-2 for 1.06 mu m light. Anomalous absorption, when included in the analysis, leaves practically unaffected the ablation pressure and mass ablation rate, for given absorbed intensity. Universal results are given in dimensionless form.