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Once more, for the people in the back: there’s no SEP for job loss. But there should be. See great reporting from @AmyLotven. Thread https://twitter.com/amylotven/status/1245577969755553792
In the midst of public health and economic crises, with 6.6m unemployment claims filed this week, the Admin seems to misunderstand its own rules about who can buy a plan through the federal health insurance marketplace ( http://HealthCare.gov ) to get help paying for coverage.
To buy a plan in http://HealthCare.gov outside annual enrollment, a person needs to be granted a special enrollment period (SEP). The President has already said he won’t create a federal COVID-19 SEP that would provide a temporary open door to all. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/31/trump-obamacare-coronavirus-157788
The Admin inaccurately claims that job loss alone is enough to get an SEP. (A person must lose both their job *and* their health coverage to qualify for this SEP.) But if they wanted to, the Admin could change the rules today to make job loss an SEP. http://www.healthreformbeyondthebasics.org/sep-reference-chart/
Why should they do this? To help the 2/3 of low-income workers who aren’t offered coverage. You can’t lose coverage you never had. Therefore, no gateway to http://HealthCare.gov under current rules. https://www.cbpp.org/two-thirds-of-lowest-wage-workers-arent-offered-employer-coverage
To extend coverage to more people of color, who are less likely to be offered health benefits through their jobs. https://www.cbpp.org/hispanic-and-black-people-less-likely-to-have-employer-coverage
And to improve health and financial protection for the many low-income workers who have subpar employer coverage with high out-of-pocket costs. Marketplace plans would provide much more financial protection. https://www.cbpp.org/low-income-workers-firewalled-from-marketplace-plans-pay-much-more-for-coverage
In addition, many workers who have an affordable employer plan for themselves can’t afford to include their families in it. These are the small business, retail, restaurant, and other workers who have lost jobs in record numbers in the last few weeks.
The Administration should reconsider its decision not to offer a COVID-19 SEP. It should also add an SEP allowing people to enroll purely because they have lost their jobs. That would help people enroll not just right now but while we travel the rough road ahead.
