President Donald Trump repeatedly asserted in the months before and after his election that Obamacare markets were collapsing on their own.
ADVERTISEMENT
Trump is now trying to destroy Obamacare by himself
The Trump administration is doing its best to make sure that the president's predictions of an Obamacare collapse come true.
Most studies, however, have showed that the Obamacare exchanges were stabilizing — and that insurers participating in the market were seeing a turnaround. But the Trump administration's recent moves, in the face of the failed repeal effort, could undermine these markets and make Trump's prediction about their demise come to fruition.
Open enrollment
The Department of Health and Human Services recently moved to significantly reduce the length of the Obamacare open enrollment period later this year. Instead of the typical three months for people to get insurance through the exchanges, there will only be a six-week open enrollment session in 2017 — cutting the time in half.
ADVERTISEMENT
HHS also dramatically reduced the budget for Obamacare outreach programs that helped to drive enrollment for exchange plans. The department will spend $10 million on advertising for open enrollment, compared with $100 million last year. Additionally, the budget for navigators — groups that assist people in enrolling or reenrolling for exchange plans — plunged to $36 million from $62.5 million last year.
Even before the latest developments, the Trump administration yanked a significant portion of a $5 million ad buy for the end of open enrollment in January 2017. According to enrollment figures, a significant slowdown in enrollment ensued in the two weeks after the administration pulled the ads, though it is difficult to make a causal connection.
Together, the moves are likely to lead to lower enrollment, especially among younger and healthier people that are necessary to keep down costs in the marketplace, said Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
ADVERTISEMENT