Health Insurers, Feds Gear Up to Steer People to ACA Marketplaces

With a law finally passed that extends enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for another three years, health insurers and government agencies can now start their consumer-outreach campaigns for the upcoming open enrollment period in earnest. But they’ll also be prepping for a bigger challenge down the road: Ensuring a smooth transition for people who will no longer be covered by Medicaid after the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) ends. 

To that end, the Biden administration on Aug. 30 rolled out a plan called the “Assister Strategy to Support Medicaid Unwinding.” As part of that plan, HHS said it’s allocating $100 million to Navigator grantee organizations for the 2022-2023 budget period as well as reviving the Enrollment Assistance Program (EAP), which established temporary storefronts and labor forces that the Obama administration used in the ACA marketplaces’ early years to supplement Navigators’ outreach efforts. For the new version of the EAP, the Biden administration will deploy “mobile assisters” across population centers identified by HHS.