It's That Time Again

It has been ten years since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law, and in that time, the GOP has tried every avenue possible to see to its destruction. Those efforts have included more than 70 attempts to repeal the Act by legislation and six separate lawsuits that have gone all the way to the Supreme Court. And, just last week, SCOTUS heard oral arguments in the seventh case to make its way to our highest court. Despite these efforts, however, the ACA remains the law of the land.

More than half of all Americans have health insurance through an employer-sponsored plan. That leaves more than 150 million individuals who are left to figure out how to meet their families health concerns on their own. One answer to that problem is the ACA. There are more than 20 million Americans covered by policies purchased through the federal marketplace and that number is expected to grow considerably as unemployment rates climb higher and faster than they did in the Great Depression.

Under the ACA, coverage of pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied and the annual benefits caps have been eliminated. The Act also affords children the opportunity to remain covered under their parents’ policies through age 26, plus be eligible for up to three years of COBRA coverage when they age out.

As a part of our effort to provide you with information and resources related to the pandemic, we have added health insurance to the menu. If you or a loved one have lost health insurance coverage, send COVID to 50409 and we will connect you with your state's marketplace. If your state does not have its own, we will connect you to the federal exchange instead. We have also included the phone number to customer service so that you can get help with the enrollment process. Depending on your state, the open enrollment period runs from November 1, 2020 through January 23, 2021.

Also included in our COVID menu is information related to renters protection under the CDC eviction moratorium and each state’s re-open plan. Additionally, we have connections to your state's public assistance website, information on how to apply for help in paying your utility bill, and more.

As always, you can send RESIST to 50409 and lobby your legislator on issues that are important to you.

Be well!