Trump refuses to reopen Obamacare exchanges after millions of laid-off workers lose health coverage – By Igor Derysh (Salon) / April 1 2020
The White House estimates that hundreds of thousands of Americans will die as a result of the coronavirus pandemic
The Trump administration has refused to reopen Obamacare exchanges to allow millions of laid-off workers get health insurance, even though the White House estimated that hundreds of thousands of Americans will die as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nearly a dozen states have reopened their enrollment period to help the millions of workers who lost their jobs amid statewide lockdowns, but a White House official told Politico that the administration had no plans to relaunch HealthCare.gov and was instead “exploring other options.”
The Obamacare enrollment period ended months ago, but millions of people have filed for unemployment since the coronavirus crisis began. Though some Democratic states have reopened their insurance marketplaces, the Trump administration oversees enrollment for the vast majority of states.
The decision surprised insurers, who said last week that they expected Trump to announce a special enrollment period after conversations with officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to the report.
Trump himself said last week that he was considering a special enrollment period at the same time as his administration supports a lawsuit seeking to repeal Obamacare in a move that would strip insurance coverage from more than 20 million people.
Continue to article: https://www.salon.com/2020/04/01/trump-refuses-to-reopen-obamacare-exchanges-after-millions-of-laid-off-workers-lose-health-coverage/
