{"id":15047,"date":"2017-11-01T14:24:58","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T21:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nilc.org\/?page_id=15047"},"modified":"2022-12-12T23:33:20","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T07:33:20","slug":"11-01-17","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nilc.org\/news\/the-torch\/11-01-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Enrollment Under the Affordable Care Act is Nov. 1 Through Dec. 15. Are You Ready?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Open Enrollment Under the Affordable Care Act is Nov. 1 Through Dec. 15. Are You Ready?<\/h1>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]THE TORCH: CONTENTS<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span>By Sonya Schwartz, Sonya & Partners LLC and NILC
\nNovember 1, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s open enrollment for health insurance in the Affordable Care Act\u2019s (ACA\u2019s\/Obamacare\u2019s) marketplace begins on Wednesday, Nov. 1, so it\u2019s time to get the word out!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not going to be easy to keep enrollment numbers strong this year. The Trump administration limited open enrollment for the federal health insurance marketplace to only six weeks<\/em>\u2014Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, 2017\u2014and dramatically reduced federal funding for marketing and enrollment assistance. (Note that some state marketplaces have longer open enrollment periods and that Medicaid and CHIP* are open all-year round). And, due to federal efforts to repeal and replace the ACA and dismantle cost-sharing subsidies, many people\u2014including people in immigrant families\u2014do not know that the marketplace still exists or that health plans are still offered in their state.<\/p>\n

Couple these barriers with the fear caused by the administration\u2019s immigration policies and increased enforcement activity, and it\u2019s likely that immigrant families will be particularly reticent about applying for or renewing coverage. So it will be more important than ever to reach out to immigrant families who may be eligible for coverage.<\/p>\n

Although immigrant families\u2019 concerns may be heightened, the laws and policies about immigrants\u2019 eligibility for health coverage have not<\/em> changed. And assisters need to be prepared to answer questions about whether it is safe to apply. For this purpose, we created a new tool, Tips for Addressing Immigrant Families Concerns When Applying for Health Coverage Programs<\/strong>. Some key highlights to keep in mind include:<\/p>\n