Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
ACA Navigators Find Out Just How Deep Those Outreach Budget Cuts Go
The Washington Post: HHS Slashes Funding To Groups Helping ACA Consumers Enroll By Up To 92 Percent
Health and Human Services officials have informed grass-roots groups that assist with enrollment under the Affordable Care Act that their funding will be reduced by as much as 92 percent, a move that could upend outreach efforts across the country. The groups, which fund organizations known as “navigators,” had been braced for the cuts since the Trump administration announced two weeks ago that it would shrink overall program funding by 41 percent and slash the department’s ACA advertising budget from $100 million to $10 million. At the time of the announcement, HHS officials said the outreach wasted taxpayers’ money. (Eilperin and Goldstein, 9/14)
The Hill: ObamaCare Enrollment Groups Learn Extent Of Trump Cuts
Their grant funds ran out at the beginning of the month, and they will not be paid retroactively for the first two weeks of September, according to one source. In preparation, some groups had laid off staff and cut salaries. Now, navigators will be analyzing their new budgets ahead of an ObamaCare enrollment season beginning Nov. 1. The Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging received “a severe cut of 62 percent,” Catherine Edwards, the executive director, wrote in an email. (Roubein, 9/14)
The Hill: Trump Cuts To ObamaCare Outreach To Hit Red States Most
The Trump administration’s decision to slash outreach funding for ObamaCare will, perhaps unintentionally, hit red states the hardest. The move last month to cut 90 percent of funds to spur signups for healthcare.gov is likely to lead to fewer young and healthy people in the insurance pool — and thus higher costs in states with majority Trump voters, according to experts. (Weixel, 9/15)
Iowa Public Radio: Feds Cut Funding For Iowa's ACA Sign-Up Groups
Late Wednesday night, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced various grant reductions for ACA navigators. Some cuts are as high as 90 percent. Genesis Health in the Quad Cities is facing a 90 percent cut to is ACA navigator grant. (Sostaric, 9/14)
