On Thursday (January 28), President Joe Biden will sign a series of executive orders related to healthcare, including one that will reopen enrollment for federal Affordable Care coverage.
“We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, and we want to make sure that people who want health insurance can get it,” a White House official told CNN.
Under Donald Trump’s administration, enrollment was cut in half, giving Americans only six weeks to sign up. Open enrollment ended on December 15.
President Biden’s order will open enrollment to the 36 states that are served by the Affordable Care Act via the Department of Health and Human Services. Those who are looking for coverage can enroll between February 15 through May 15. The 11 other states and District of Columbia who operate their own Affordable Care Act exchanges kept their coverage open outside of Trump’s timeframe.
Despite calls from both Republicans and Democrats to reopen enrollment, Trump refused to do so last year, as the pandemic raged on.
President Biden will also sign executive orders to strengthen Medicaid programs, and reverse the ban on funding to foreign nonprofits that conduct or advocate for abortions. He will also review the Title X restrictions on abortion referrals.
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