Deadline to Get Obamacare Under Affordable Care Act Nears

Americans who need health insurance, or want to explore new plans for 2017, still have a few days to sign up for the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, despite plans by President Trump and Congress to repeal the program that has insured 11.5 million people.

The deadline is just around the corner, though — Jan. 31. The Trump administration halted advertising and other outreach activities for Affordable Care Act Marketplaces by the Department of Health and Human Services “in the critical last few days of open enrollment,” U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, said in a statement.

“People should not be hurt by politics,” Dingell said. “This is an opportunity for individuals who need insurance to sign up, and canceling outreach in the final days of open enrollment will only result in fewer Americans gaining health care coverage who need it.”

“President Trump said himself that he wants to provide insurance for everybody,” Dingell said. “If he believes this, then our goal should be to ensure more people have affordable health care coverage, not undermine the progress that’s been made over the last seven years.”

The congresswoman said the last week in January and the end of open enrollment is one of the two weeks of the enrollment season that has the largest surge of consumers signing up. In the three years since the Marketplaces began, the final day of enrollment has been the second-biggest day of enrollment. It is topped only by Dec. 31, the deadline for people seeking coverage effective Jan. 1.

Also, she said, the last week of January has always tended to draw younger enrollees, who often wait until the very last minute to sign up. For the last week of the sign-up period, HHS had planned a major advertising campaign specifically aimed at younger adults, but it has now been halted.

Dingell criticized the Trump administration’s decision to cancel advertising reminding Americans of the open enrollment deadline, saying ad buys had already been made and that cost will be picked up by taxpayers.

“If there end up being fewer young adults in the Marketplaces, the risk pools in the marketplaces would be less healthy — destabilizing the marketplaces for the future, Dingell said. “Before this action, enrollment in the 2017 marketplaces had been going well. As of December 24th, more than 11.5 million people nationwide had signed up for 2017 marketplace plans, higher than the same time last year.”

To sign up for a plan by Jan. 31, go to healthcare.gov. Michigan residents can also call (800) 318-2596 for help, or get free in-person help in their communities by visiting LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov.

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