Baldwin, Murphy, Senate Dems to HHS: Reopen the ACA Marketplace, Allow More Americans to Get Health Insurance during COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), along with 26 Senate Democrats, urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reopen the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplace to allow more un- and under-insured Americans to get health insurance as they face potential health issues related to COVID-19. In a letter to Secretary Alex Azar, the Senators urged HHS to allow Americans to enroll through a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that should last throughout the duration of the pandemic in an effort to ensure comprehensive coverage for families and communities to protect themselves from COVID-related illness.
The Senators wrote: “Currently, millions of Americans are uninsured and anxious, not only about what the possibility of contracting COVID-19 could mean for their health and that of their family, but also for their financial stability. Opening up the ACA marketplace would provide an easy pathway to coverage for those who under previous circumstances may have decided to forego health insurance or purchase a substandard, junk insurance plan, but now in a global pandemic are in vital need of comprehensive coverage to protect themselves, their families, and our broader community.”
“We believe opening an ACA SEP is the clearest way to cover the millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans in the 38 states that use the federal platform, and to provide comprehensive protections for COVID-19-related treatment and prevention,” the Senators continued.
The Senators concluded: “We urge you to put aside the partisan politics of the past, and to expand health coverage to millions of Americans by opening an SEP expeditiously.”
In addition to Senators Baldwin and Murphy, the letter was also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bob Casey (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) Dick Durbin (D-IL), Angus King (I-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Doug Jones (D-AL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tom Carper (D-DE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Tom Udall (D-NM).
The full text of the letter can be found here and below. An online version of this release is available here.
Dear Secretary Azar,
We write to urge you to reopen the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) online marketplace through a unique Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to allow any American to enroll in a comprehensive health insurance plan. Currently, millions of Americans are uninsured and anxious, not only about what the possibility of contracting COVID-19 could mean for their health and that of their family, but also for their financial stability. Opening up the ACA marketplace would provide an easy pathway to coverage for those who under previous circumstances may have decided to forego health insurance or purchase a substandard, junk insurance plan, but now in a global pandemic are in vital need of comprehensive coverage to protect themselves, their families, and our broader community.
The Trump Administration’s reported decision not to open an SEP, despite earlier congressional requests, and leave millions of Americans uninsured and underinsured during this unprecedented public health crisis will inevitably mean fewer individuals seeking testing and treatment—prolonging the spread of the disease—and will put more families in dire financial straits. The COVID-19 pandemic is also causing millions of people to lose their jobs and their employer-provided health insurance. We should be promoting comprehensive health insurance plans to all those impacted, not looking to divert funds appropriated to support hospitals, or promoting junk insurance plans that don’t have to provide coverage for needed services or offer consumer protections.
An additional benefit of opening an SEP is that it would publicize to all Americans who have lost their jobs that the exchanges are open again and that they can enroll in high-quality health insurance, providing at least a modicum of reassurance during these deeply troubling times. Given the millions of job losses in recent weeks and the likelihood of millions more in the near future, now is the time to open up the health insurance marketplace to everyone so that people know that losing their job does not mean they must also lose access to health insurance coverage.
We believe opening an ACA SEP is the clearest way to cover the millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans in the 38 states that use the federal platform, and to provide comprehensive protections for COVID-19-related treatment and prevention. In a demonstration of the dramatic demand for such a move, all but one of the 13 state-based marketplaces have opened an SEP, with such high levels of interest that many are now extending the period by several weeks.
We urge you to put aside the partisan politics of the past, and to expand health coverage to millions of Americans by opening an SEP expeditiously.
Sincerely,
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Governors Tony Evers, JB Pritzker, Tim Walz, and Gretchen Whitmer Issue a Joint Statement Concerning Reports that Donald Trump Gave Russian Dictator Putin American COVID-19 Supplies - Gov. Tony Evers - Oct 11th, 2024
- MHD Release: Milwaukee Health Department Launches COVID-19 Wastewater Testing Dashboard - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Jan 23rd, 2024
- Milwaukee County Announces New Policies Related to COVID-19 Pandemic - County Executive David Crowley - May 9th, 2023
- DHS Details End of Emergency COVID-19 Response - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Apr 26th, 2023
- Milwaukee Health Department Announces Upcoming Changes to COVID-19 Services - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 17th, 2023
- Fitzgerald Applauds Passage of COVID-19 Origin Act - U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald - Mar 10th, 2023
- DHS Expands Free COVID-19 Testing Program - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Feb 10th, 2023
- MKE County: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rising - Graham Kilmer - Jan 16th, 2023
- Not Enough Getting Bivalent Booster Shots, State Health Officials Warn - Gaby Vinick - Dec 26th, 2022
- Nearly All Wisconsinites Age 6 Months and Older Now Eligible for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 15th, 2022
Read more about Coronavirus Pandemic here
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin
Baldwin Announces Over $101 Million to Lower Energy Costs for Wisconsin Families
Nov 18th, 2024 by U.S. Sen. Tammy BaldwinFunding comes from Baldwin-backed government funding legislation and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law