As we learn that 22 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last four weeks, House Republicans are still refusing to join governors, hospitals, Republican state lawmakers and the majority of Americans in calling 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
“House Republicans are playing politics with the health – and lives – of millions of Americans who face the challenge of being jobless, uninsured and losing this their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.”