The Health 202: Trump administration won't answer questions about Obamacare enrollment

[Judi Lynn]

By Paige Winfield Cunningham August 8 at 8:56 AM


The Trump administration won't give any specifics about how it will handle the looming enrollment season in the Obamacare marketplaces, where 10 million-plus Americans are expected to seek health coverage for 2018. The six-week sign-up period will be the first handled exclusively by an administration that's hostile to the Affordable Care Act -- and one that hoped by now to see Congress pass legislation unraveling much of the law.

In each of the past four sign-up seasons, the Obama administration was a clear cheerleader for the marketplaces, engaging in widespread marketing efforts, supporting nonprofit "navigators" who helped with community-based enrollment and loudly proclaiming the availability of insurance plans -- and federal subsidies -- to just about anyone without employer-sponsored coverage, Medicare or Medicaid.

So is the new administration -- and specifically the Department of Health and Human Services, run by former GOP Rep. Tom Price -- a friend or foe of the marketplaces? On one hand, any problems with enrollment on Healthcare.gov are likely to be blamed on the agency, which is in charge of operating and promoting it. On the other hand, Price's boss, President Trump, has been loudly declaring his ongoing animosity to Obamacare and his hopes that its marketplaces will self-implode.

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-health-202/2017/08/08/the-health-202-trump-administration-won-t-answer-questions-about-obamacare-enrollment/5988b2ed30fb045fdaef1180/?utm_term=.c6637a0fc4d5