December 1, 2023

4.5 MILLION FIND AFFORDABLE COVERAGE THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE

The Department of Health and Human Services reported that over 4.5 million people were able to select affordable health coverage in the Marketplace since open enrollment began. Those who have lost Medicaid coverage can visit HealthCare.gov and review health care coverage options. Thanks to the provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, 9 out of 10 enrollees should be eligible for affordable plans!

While millions were able to find coverage through the Marketplace, many are still losing coverage. As of November 30, over 11 million Medicaid enrollees have lost coverage, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. 34% of those who completed the renewal process were disenrolled and 20.6 million enrollees were able to qualify for renewed coverage. The large range of disenrollment rates in each state varies, with the highest of 64% being in Texas and the lowest of 10% in Illinois. Out of all states with available data, 71% of all those disenrolled were due to procedural reasons.

The holiday season continues and so does open enrollment! The NDNRC wants to make sure that navigators who work with people with disabilities have all the resources that they need as it relates to enrollment in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace during Open Enrollment from November 1 to January 16. These resources consist of a Disability Guide to help in identifying issues that are central to healthcare insurance for people with disabilities along with 17 topical and 9 population specific factsheets.

The CHIRblog released their weekly Navigator Guide FAQs for open enrollment; this week’s focuses on coverage for people who own or work for a small business. Did you know that businesses that have less than 50 employees are not required to offer health benefits to full or part-time employees nor tax penalties? If this is the case for you, apply for coverage in the Marketplace!

The Commonwealth Fund wrote a blogpost on the policy implications of the Medicaid unwinding. States must redetermine coverage for over 90 million beneficiaries, with a goal of providing stable re/enrollment during this process. This blog highlighted that over 70% of those disenrolled lost coverage for procedural reasons, such as incorrect mailing addresses, incorrect form information, or agency error that could be avoided with the help of a navigator.

TCF also released an issue brief on the policy innovations of the Affordable Care Act. Millions of Americans rely on Marketplace plans for coverage and will continue to do so during the Medicaid unwinding. With robust outreach efforts, aid of enrollment assisters to help identify affordable plans for healthcare needs, and promotion of insurer participation, access to continuous care can be accomplished.

The National Academy for State Health Policy reviewed the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model, which aims to be put into practice from 2024 to 2034 to curb healthcare cost growth, improve population health, and advance health equity. This model will work best for states that have reform efforts for payment and delivery systems.

The Biden-Harris Administration has updated resources to support the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. This statement included evidence-based models of inclusion and resources to support inclusion efforts. “Setting high expectations for early inclusion paves the way for children with disabilities to reach their goals and to learn, live, and thrive in school and in their communities,” said Assistant Secretary Glenna Wright-Gallo.

Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website.