11 States + DC Reopen ACA Enrollment To Broaden Health Coverage During COVID-19 Pandemic
'9 States Reopen ACA Insurance Enrollment To Broaden Health Coverage.' NPR, March 20, 2020. (~ Other states may reopen enrollment, so keep checking).
* NYT, '11 States Plus DC' March 23, 2020.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/upshot/coronavirus-obamacare-marketplaces-reopen.html
At least nine U.S. states are offering their uninsured residents another opportunity to sign up for a health plan this year as they seek new ways to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic. The states have reopened their health insurance exchanges this month to help ease consumers' concerns about the cost of health care so that the sick will not be deterred from seeking medical attention. Patients need care for various health needs, regardless of their ability to pay, the rationale goes. And, on the public health side, uninsured patients who are avoiding needed medical care and get infected with the virus are more likely to inadvertently spread it.
Generally, under ACA rules, consumers who buy their own insurance must purchase a policy during the regular open enrollment period in the fall. If they do not buy a plan and do not qualify for a special enrollment period, they cannot obtain health insurance from the exchange until the next open enrollment.
The states that have recently reopened exchanges — Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington — have more flexibility than most states to create a special enrollment period because they run their own health exchanges. Another such state, California, announced Friday that its exchange, which had been open for reasons unrelated to the outbreak, will continue to allow residents to enroll through June because of the upheaval caused by the coronavirus. The District of Columbia is also allowing residents to sign up for coverage for reasons unrelated to the outbreak.
Michael Marchand, chief marketing officer for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange in Washington state, says uninsured residents who don't get tested for the novel coronavirus because of the fear of the costs of testing and treatment would represent an "extremely weak link in the response chain and would make things much worse." "The bottom line is, in a pandemic situation, your response will only be as strong as the most vulnerable link in the chain," he says.
As of 3 p.m. ET Friday, more than 16,000 cases of COVID-19 — the disease caused by the virus — have been identified in the United States and more than 200 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.
Nearly 28 million people in the United States do not have health insurance. In most of the nine states updating their policies, people enrolling now will get health insurance coverage that starts April 1. The federal government, which runs the marketplaces for 32 states on healthcare.gov, has not made a similar offer.
Twenty-five senators sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services on March 12, urging them to give consumers who rely on HealthCare.gov a special opportunity to enroll. "It is imperative for patients to receive covered care, regardless of whether they test positive or negative for the virus," the letter said.
In a statement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which runs the federal marketplace, says it is not offering a special enrollment period, but continues to evaluate options in light of the coronavirus outbreak. It encouraged people to check whether they qualify for a special enrollment period for other reasons, like a job loss that ends their health coverage.
All consumers are allowed to sign up for insurance anytime if they meet certain qualifying conditions, such as losing health coverage, getting married or having a baby...
More, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/20/818981380/9-states-reopen-aca-insurance-enrollment-to-broaden-health-coverage