Open enrollment for federal health insurance begins Nov. 1

Oct. 25--CHEYENNE -- When open enrollment for 2018 federal health insurance coverage starts Nov. 1, nonprofit group Enroll Wyoming wants to sign up as many people in the state as possible.

The idea is to move ahead at full force during registration, said Josh Hannes, director of Enroll Wyoming and of strategy and external affairs for Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.

The strategy comes after President Donald Trump slashed Enroll Wyoming's funding by 62 percent in September. The cut reduced the local agency's budget from $426,287 in 2017 to $166,642 in 2018.

Despite the cuts, Enroll Wyoming will continue to employ five navigators, Hannes said. These are people who are specially trained to answer consumer questions and help sign them up for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Navigators will travel to each of Wyoming's 23 counties to teach people about health insurance options and provide free help to enroll for 2018.

"What we're doing is to tell anyone who has questions or needs help to get connected with navigators," Hannes said.

The cuts have reduced how much Enroll Wyoming can spend on training and travel for navigators, however.

They have scheduled more than 100 events statewide, and will meet people in coffee shops, libraries and other locations. But they only plan to sweep through the state once during this registration period.

Trump also cut cost-sharing reduction payments that had helped reduce overall premium costs.

Still, the Trump administration did not touch the use of advanced premium tax credits, Hannes said. These credits will reduce the cost of health insurance premiums.

Some consumers likely won't have to pay much at all in premiums because of these credits, he said.

"If you're eligible for the advanced premium tax credits, if you meet the income eligibility guidelines, there is a good chance you will be paying less in premiums than you have in the past," Hannes said.

"It is very important people don't have the impression that the cost of insurance is going to be out of reach for them."

Susan Van Deren, Wyoming 2-1-1 executive director, also encouraged people to call her organization, a local information resource that employs trained navigators.

How much the Trump administration cuts will affect Wyoming people signing up for coverage is not clear.

But an analysis by Joshua Peck projects there will be 1.1 million fewer people nationwide who will enroll in the federal program because of the drastic cuts. Peck recently cofounded the Obamacare promotion group called "Get America Covered."

Hannes said he hopes it won't be more difficult for navigators to register people given the cuts.

But, he said, "we're not at all encouraged" by the shorter enrollment period. In the past, people had three months to sign up for coverage. But this time, the open enrollment will last about six weeks.

Enroll Wyoming also has access to a statewide telehealth technology. Navigators will use the telehealth equipment to meet with individuals and families using secure video conference and screen-sharing features on the internet, according to a news release from Enroll Wyoming.

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