Trump administration tries to rig Obamacare enrollments by hiding sign-up options
Enrollments in the Affordable Care Act through the federal marketplace are down significantly from previous years, and almost 12 percent from last year. With a deadline of December 15—this Saturday—looming, this is alarming.
As is a new Sunlight Foundation investigation that might explain some of those lower enrollments. They've discovered that a few weeks after open enrollment started this fall, changes were made to HealthCare.gov’s "Apply for Health Insurance" webpage. They report that information about two of the ways you can apply for coverage is missing now, "replaced by a new list of application options and links, including a link for 'Help On Demand,' a third-party consumer assistance referral system, operated by a for-profit software company, BigWave Systems." Instead of providing consumers with the option of signing up for coverage by mail and phone, HHS is directing people to sign up through enrollment sites run by for-profit companies.
Sunlight says that the "removals may cause confusion and could impede consumers’ ability to obtain health insurance coverage." Absolutely. The agents and brokers that people are now being directed to are getting commissions from health insurance policies, and people trying to sign up don't have information on all of their alternatives. They've also lumped the navigator or "assisters" who don't work on commission and can provide in-person help in with those agents and brokers. Additionally, they've de-emphasized the option to use Healthcare.gov for signing up. Originally, it was the first option provided, now it's last on the list of ways to apply.
All this comes after the administration removed an assister training guide for Latino outreach. Jodi Ray, director of Florida Covering Kids & Families at the University of South Florida, says these materials are critical. "You have to know your community, the population, the culture of who you’re trying to reach. If we’re not providing the resources to be able to do that effectively, we’re going to lose that population that needs this more than anyone."
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/12/12/1818699/-Trump-administration-tries-to-rig-Obamacare-enrollments-by-hiding-sign-up-options
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