Assault on Obamacare creates ‘unique challenges’ in Washington state as enrollment starts
"Every year is a challenge, and this year we have a unique set of challenges," said
Even in more certain times, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the patchwork of rules and mandates from state to state can overwhelm customers. The recent actions by
Customers in
The mission is to use data and leverage relationships built by county partner agencies to find where and who the uninsured are in the county. The under-served ZIP codes the Navigators focus on mostly consist of communities of color, said Daphne Pie, Public Health --
"Our message when you go in is stay insured. Get insured," Pie said. "Let our Navigators help you. Let us guide you through the system."
The numbers
The work by Pie and Navigator groups has helped reduce uninsured 18- to 64-year-olds in
The nonpartisan
Some 180,000 people use the state's exchange, with the bulk of Washingtonians receiving health insurance through work. Another 151,000 buy insurance on the individual market outside the exchange, and an estimated 300,000 to 350,000 buy from health associations.
The ACA challenges Marchand refers to have come rapid-fire since President
The advertising budget for the ACA was slashed from
Last month, the
The most confusion, though, is coming from Trump's order to halt subsidy payments to insurers from
But that doesn't mean consumers won't feel some pain. The state insurance commissioner's office approved a second set of rates when Trump ended the cost-sharing payments. All customers using the Silver Plan will get hit with a premium rate increase of 9 percent to 27 percent, depending on the insurer, because of the loss of federal help.
The increases cover the loss of the payments in the Silver Plans where the cost-sharing payments are applied. People making between 138 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty level receive the subsidies to reduce deductibles and co-payments. Customers of any exchange plan are eligible for a tax credit to help reduce premiums if they earn between 138 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
State of uncertainty
Insurers and state insurance officials across the nation are struggling with the uncertainty swirling around the ACA. Like other states,
A study by consulting firm
Marchand's focus is on just getting more people covered. Last year, 83 percent of exchange customers signed up by
"At the end of the day, it's not about how the rates went up or who caused the rates to go up. It is about, am I getting the best insurance for my family?"
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