For those who lost their health insurance as layoffs mounted at the end of March, a 60-day “special enrollment” period for individual coverage under the ACA closes next week in most states.
A decade after Obamacare became law, California has vastly expanded health coverage; Texas has resisted. Such regional differences have had a huge impact on many people’s lives.In a counter-intuitive finding, Kaiser’s study also estimated that nearly 8 in 10 of the newly uninsured would likely qualify for some sort of coverage under former President Obama’s health law, either a private plan like Franklin found, or Medicaid.
“The ACA is there as a safety net for the first time in an economic downturn,” said Kaiser foundation expert Larry Levitt. But “many people losing their jobs have never had to think of relying on the ACA for coverage, so there is no reason they should be aware of their options.” There are several options, not easy to sort through. Some have application deadlines; others do not. And the Trump administration, which still plans to ask theSubsidized private insurance Like Altheia Franklin, people who lose workplace insurance generally have 60 days from when their coverage ended to apply for an ACA plan. They can go to the federal or their state’s health insurance website. Most states that run their own health insurance marketplaces have provided an extended sign-up period for people who lost coverage in the pandemic. The federal marketplace, serving most of the country, has not.Nearly three-fourths of the states have expanded Medicaid to low-income adults under the Obama health law. In those states, low-income adults can qualify for free or very low cost coverage. There is no sign-up deadline. The Kaiser foundation estimates that nearly 13 million people who lost job-based insurance are eligible for Medicaid. But that option is not available in most Southern states, as well as some in the Midwest and Plains, because they have not expanded Medicaid.Laid-off workers should be able to get their children covered even if the adults in the family cannot help. The federal-state Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid cover kids in families with incomes well above the poverty level. “Medicaid is open year round if you are a parent with kids who need coverage,” said Joan Alker, director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. Children’s coverage predates the ACA.People can continue their employer coverage under a federal law known as COBRA, but they have to pay 102% of the premium — too much for most who are out of work. If there’s another coronavirus bill from Congress, it might include subsidies for COBRA coverage. Government statistics on people losing — and finding — health insurance coverage in the coronavirus contraction won’t be available for months. The head of a California company that helps people find ACA coverage says most of the new sign-ups they’re seeing are people who qualify for Medicaid, and there’s been only a modest uptick for subsidized private plans.“We are all wondering where the heck is everybody,” said George Kalogeropoulos, CEO of Health Sherpa. “People first are trying to apply for unemployment, and many of them getting stuck there,” he added. “Healthcare is the secondary thing, and if they get stuck in unemployment, people may never do the healthcare thing.” Alker, the Georgetown University expert, said insurance protection has been neglected in the pandemic. “Having health insurance has never been more important,” she said. “We need a national commitment to make these newly uninsured people aware of their options.”
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sudan to establish police force to protect health workersSudan's transitional authorities say they are working to create a police force to protect health facilities and health workers.
Read more »
Cuomo: economy won't recover on its own, companies won't rehire some workers - Business InsiderBusiness Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. Launched in 2007, the site is now the largest business news site on the web.
Read more »
The coronavirus is threatening diversity in academiaColleges are laying off their adjunct faculty, which mostly consists of women and people of color.
Read more »
Pandemic jumbles House agendaThe House was already facing a deadline crunch this summer, with a slew of must-pass bills threatening to overwhelm lawmakers for months — and that was before the pandemic struck
Read more »
Biden leaves home to lay Memorial Day wreathJoe Biden left his home for the first time in months on Monday, sporting a face mask to lay a wreath at the Delaware Memorial Bridge Veteran's Memorial Park.
Read more »
California city sees COVID-19 outbreaks at 9 facilities, including food processing plantsOne California city is grappling with COVID-19 outbreaks at nine of its industrial facilities, including one food processing plant that reported having at least 153 positive cases.
Read more »