Counselors nationwide that help people enroll in insurance coverage on the ACA marketplace are starting their efforts earlier than usual this year, reports The New York Times.
Open enrollment for 2018 doesn't begin until Nov. 1. But some counselors, called "navigators," have already started work due to the uncertainty surrounding the future of parts of the ACA and how federal officials will approach enrollment compared to former President Barack Obama's administration, according to the report.
Republicans' attempts to repeal and replace the ACA failed earlier this year. However, a number of decisions still await President Donald Trump's administration regarding continued healthcare reform under the ACA.
For instance, it is unclear whether Trump administration members opposed to the ACA will rally behind the upcoming enrollment period and encourage uninsured Americans to sign up for coverage or renew their policies, reports The New York Times. The administration has already shortened the enrollment period to 45 days, meaning it will end Dec. 15 rather than Jan. 31. Also, federal officials ended $23 million in contracts with companies that helped people with enrollment, and advocacy groups that previously helped with enrollment efforts have not received word from current federal officials on continuing the partnerships for 2018, the report states.
Future federal funding for navigators is also unclear. NYT reports CMS in 2016 provided approximately 100 navigator groups with $63 million in grants, but they do not yet know if those grants will be renewed. Federal officials could decide not to award the grants in September.
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