Following the lead of Democratic states that have reopened Obamacare enrollment amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration is considering reopening the national marketplace enrollment at Healthcare.gov.
At least nine states running their own marketplace will allow people without healthcare to enroll, despite the open enrollment period expiring, and now a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokeswoman says the U.S. government might follow suit by reopening the national marketplace, too, amid the pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The national enrollment deadline was Dec. 15 for the 2020 year.
"CMS is evaluating offering a Special Enrollment Period specifically designated for COVID-19," the official told the Journal. "We will continue to work with states and health plans around the country to assess what additional actions are necessary to ensure the American people have coverage for and access to the services they need during this time."
With massive layoffs expected as the U.S. shuts down large portions of the economy, there will soon be a very large number of Americans headed for no health insurance amid a deadly global coronavirus outbreak.
Job loss is one criteria for being able to buy Affordable Care Act health plans in the marketplace, but for those living paycheck to paycheck and uninsured, they might need healthcare coverage more than ever.
Having a large number of uninsured Americans would put countless lives at risk if they fear the out-of-pocket medical bills associated with treating a case of coronavirus or being tested for it.
Monday marks the 10-year anniversary of the signing of the law.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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