Trump’s safety net shackles Obamacare

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s unrelenting opposition to Obamacare could become an obstacle for millions of uninsured people in the coronavirus outbreak, as well as many who are losing coverage in the economic shutdown.

Experts say the Affordable Care Act’s insurance markets provide a ready-made infrastructure for extending subsidized private coverage in every state, allowing more people access to medical treatment before they get so sick they have to go to the emergency room. In about three-fourths of the states, expanded Medicaid is also available to low-income people.

But the Trump administration has resisted reopening the ACA’s HealthCare.gov marketplace for uninsured people who missed the last sign-up period. And it doesn’t seem to be doing much to inform people who lost job-based coverage that they’re eligible for insurance now through the ACA.

State-run exchanges prominently promote the availability of coverage, but users of HealthCare.gov have to go through a series of clicks to get that information.

On Monday, leading congressional Democrats wrote Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to urge reopening HealthCare.gov and a focused effort to inform people who lose job-based coverage of their rights to an ACA plan.

“Many remain unaware of how to sign up or the existence of financial assistance to lower their costs,” wrote Reps. Richard Neal, D-Mass., Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Bobby Scott, D-Va, along with Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Patty Murray, D-Wash.

In a statement, HHS did not address the question of opening the health insurance marketplaces, as several states have. The statement referred people who have lost job-based coverage to a page on the HealthCare.gov site.