House Republicans Are Refusing To Call For Opening Up The Health Insurance Marketplace
As we learn that 16 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last three weeks, House Republicans are still refusing to join Trump Administration staff, Trump campaign donors, governors, hospitals, Democratic members of Congress, and the majority of Americans in calling on President Trump to reopen the federal insurance marketplace for uninsured Americans during the COVID-19 crisis.
Health advocates report that failing to reopen the marketplace creates major hurdles for newly jobless trying to sign up for coverage.
The administration hasn’t promoted the fact that people who lose job-based health coverage qualify to sign up for insurance on healthcare.gov outside of the standard open enrollment period, which runs through November and part of December.
The administration also has not waived rules it put in place in 2017 that require people submit documentation proving they lost their job-based insurance before they’re allowed to sign up outside open enrollment, despite doing so for natural disasters in the past.
Tara Straw, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said it can be extremely difficult for people to get the necessary documentation if their employer has already closed up shop…
People looking for in-person help signing up for ACA plans after losing their job-based coverage could face challenges because the Trump administration has cut millions of dollars in funding in the last few years for enrollment assistants and navigators.
Statement from DCCC Spokesperson Robyn Patterson
“Even President Trump’s own staff admits he’s politicizing people’s health care during a deadly pandemic. It’s time for House Republicans to find the courage to stand up for the millions of Americans who face the challenge of being jobless, uninsured and losing their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.”