The healthcare industry is feeling a bit grim at the moment, if this editorial by Editor Emeritus of Modern Healthcare, Merrill Goozner is any indication. Here's his lead-in: "Sign-ups for individual health plans during this year's shortened open-enrollment season are running well below last year's pace. The number of uninsured children is rising. The share of Americans without health coverage will undoubtedly tick up next year for the first time in nearly a decade."
It's all pretty daunting, and all down to Trump and the Republican Congress, a point he doesn't shy away from making. He is calling for healthcare providers and insurers to "undo some of the damage," by doing their own outreach for the Affordable Care Act, running local ads, providing emergency grants or lending their employees to help local navigator groups that have lost 90 percent of their government funding.
Time is very short, less than two weeks in most of the country. It's something the resistance is built to tackle, however. We did the almost unimaginable last month—gained 40 seats in the House for Democrats. We can use that energy now to help get people signed up for Obamacare.
Please help spread the word. And remember, free help for you or anyone you recruit is available. If you have questions about signing up or want to talk through your options with a trained professional, free help is just a quick call or click away. Call 1-800-318-2596, visit localhelp.healthcare.gov or make a one-on-one appointment now.
Here are the states with extended deadlines for enrollment:
California – January 15, 2019
Colorado – January 15, 2019
D.C. – January 31, 2019
Massachusetts – January 23, 2019
Minnesota – January 13, 2019
New York – January 31, 2019
Rhode Island – January 31, 2019