President Joe Biden announced plans reopen enrollment on the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges on Thursday morning as part of a series of executive actions related to health care.
This decision comes with his promise to bolster the landmark health reform law, also known as Obamacare, as more Americans could be facing the loss of coverage because of the pandemic-fueled economic downturn.
During his campaign, Biden also promised to increase the number of insured Americans by strengthening the ACA. The impact of reopening enrollment in the Obamacare marketplaces would have on Americans is still unclear.
Anyone who loses job-based health insurance coverage can sign up on the exchanges within 60 days of becoming uninsured. Enrollment in the first five months of 2020 jumped 46% compared to the same period the year before.
During the most recent open enrollment period, overall Obamacare sign-ups for 2021 coverage increased when comparing the 36 states participating on the federal exchange during this year and last year.
Publicizing Obamacare enrollment portals and providing help for people to sign up is pivotal, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation.
