As ACA Enrollment Deadline Nears, Officials Say Upheaval In D.C. Hasn’t Deterred Sign-Ups
About 1.3 million Californians have re-enrolled since Nov. 1, and more than 327,000 new people have signed up for 2017 coverage. The Sacramento Bee offers a look at the areas in the state that will be most affected by repeal.
Sacramento Bee:
Threatened Repeal Of Obamacare Hovers Over California Health Insurance Signups; Deadline Is Tuesday
After Jan. 31, only those with changed circumstances – losing a job, having a baby, moving within California – can enroll in Covered California. Otherwise, consumers who don’t have employer-based health insurance will need to wait until next fall, when there likely will be an entirely new health care system in place. Although Trump and congressional Republicans have taken the first steps in their campaign promises to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, it’s unclear exactly what the replacement health coverage program will look like. (Buck, 1/27)
Sacramento Bee:
Obamacare Repeal Will Affect Millions In California
A repeal of the Affordable Care Act without some form of replacement insurance would have profound effects in California, particularly in counties with a high proportion of impoverished residents. President Donald Trump and Congress have taken steps to repeal the ACA, often called Obamacare. Lawmakers supporting repeal, mostly Republicans, have promised to replace Obamacare with another form of broad-based coverage but have not yet rallied around an alternative. (Reese, 1/27)
In other news on the health law repeal —
KQED:
California’s Undocumented Kids—Why They Could Be First To Lose Medical Care Under Trump
[T]he ability of [Maria Bernal's son] Edwin and some 164,000 poor undocumented California children to see a doctor for regular medical care hangs in the balance—with several experts predicting they could be among the first to lose health coverage if the Trump administration carries out its promise to end much of Obamacare, leaving California to try to make up the difference. To be clear, the federal government does pay limited medical costs for kids in the country illegally under the restricted-scope Medi-Cal program, which is available to anyone regardless of immigration status for emergency and prenatal services only. Last May, however, California became one of a handful of states to provide state-funded full-scope Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. (Aguilera, 1/26)