MedCity News
Biden to reopen ACA marketplaces for 3 months
The Biden administration established a special enrollment period to give uninsured Americans a chance to sign up for insurance on the HealthCare.gov markets. Providers and payers applauded the announcement, but it remains to be seen whether the move will encourage people to get insured.
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President Joe Biden is reopening the HealthCare.gov insurance markets to enable Americans to sign up for coverage amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Biden signed two executive orders Thursday. One establishes a special enrollment period from Feb. 15 to May 15 and directs federal agencies to reconsider rules and policies that limit access to healthcare. These include policies that make it more difficult for people to enroll in Medicaid and the ACA.
The head of the association representing U.S. health insurers said he expects equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution to be the No. 1 priority in the Biden administration.
Matt Eyles, president and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, said Tuesday that his organization wants to assist the administration in its goals of COVID-19 relief and economic recovery, while calling for health equity in America’s communities.
“America’s longstanding health disparities have been on tragic display throughout the last year,” he said during AHIP’s 2021 State of the Industry virtual event. “Minorities in the U.S. are becoming infected and dying from COVID-19 at higher rates than white populations. These outcomes are unacceptable. They can be traced back to something health insurance providers have been increasing their focus on in recent years – the foundational social determinants that create health inequities.”