Florida Leads Nation In ACA Signups; HHS Launches New Enrollment Push
The ad campaign, called the “Summer Sprint to Coverage,” will feature testimonial spots in English and Spanish on local cable, radio and online platforms during peak audience times including while the Olympics air, Axios reports.
Health News Florida:
Florida Still Leads Nation In New Obamacare Enrollment
Florida continues to lead the nation in the number of new people enrolling in Obamacare health plans during a special enrollment period that began earlier this year, according to data released Wednesday by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In all, 1.5 million people in 36 states that use a federal health insurance exchange enrolled in plans available under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, between Feb. 15 and June 30. With 413,409 Floridians enrolling, the Sunshine State accounted for 27 percent of the selections made nationwide, the data show. (7/15)
Axios:
Scoop: HHS Launches Campaign To Bolster ACA Sign-Ups Before Aug. 15 Deadline
The Biden administration plans to launch a massive campaign Thursday to get more Americans to sign up for the Affordable Care Act — 30 days before the Aug. 15 deadline to do so. Administration officials announced Wednesday more than 2 million people have signed up for health insurance during the special enrollment period using both federal and state marketplaces. (Fernandez, 7/15)
In other news about covid's economic toll —
NBC News:
Child Tax Credit Payments Started Hitting Bank Accounts Today. Here's What You Need To Know.
Most eligible families in the U.S. will get their first monthly payments of the expanded child tax credit Thursday. The payments, which were included in the American Rescue Plan, change an existing tax credit by expanding the eligibility pool and increasing the money families get. Under the expanded credit, the IRS, also for the first time, is offering the option to receive the payments monthly, rather than in a lump sum as a tax refund. (Egan, 7/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
Your Child Tax Credit Payment Just Arrived. Are You Sure You Want It?
Check your bank account. It may have jumped today if you have children ages 17 or younger—thanks to the Internal Revenue Service, of all things. But before going on a splurge, find out if the extra dollars are truly extra for you. If they aren’t, you could be in for a bad surprise at tax time next year. The IRS has now made the first of six monthly payments in 2021 to more than 35 million families with nearly 60 million children. These payments can be large: An eligible family with three young children could receive up to $900 per month for the rest of the year. The first round of payments comes to about $15 billion, according to a Biden administration official. (Saunders, 7/15)
The Hill:
Biden Hails 'Transformative' Child Tax Credit Payments
President Biden on Thursday hailed the expanded child tax credit as a “transformative” achievement that would offer needed relief for families and made the case for Congress to further extend the payments in forthcoming legislation. In remarks from the White House, Biden said the payments would spur the largest one-year decrease in child poverty in the United States and outlined how eligible families can expect to receive payments or sign up to receive them. Experts say that the tax credit could slash child poverty in half. (Chalfant, 7/15)
CBS News:
Jobless Claims Dip, With 360,000 Americans Applying For Unemployment Benefits
The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits reached a new pandemic low last week, demonstrating the job market's continued recovery. Some 360,000 people applied for regular jobless aid in the week ended July 10, according to the Labor Department. That's down 26,000 from the previous week and the lowest level of claims since March 14, 2020. (Ivanova, 7/15)
