Sen. Baldwin Asks President Biden to Reopen ACA Marketplace to Allow Wisconsinites to Get Health Insurance During COVID-19 Pandemic

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is calling on President Joe Biden to take action to help more Americans gain access to quality, affordable health insurance they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to the President, Baldwin urges President Biden to immediately open a special enrollment period (SEP) for the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) online marketplace, and to restore funding for the Navigator Program and the ACA's outreach and enrollment efforts.

Baldwin repeatedly called on President Trump to open a special enrollment period during the pandemic, but instead of working to expand access to care, the Trump administration ignored the advice of public health experts and locked out the uninsured and underinsured from accessing the health coverage they desperately needed during an unprecedented public health crisis.

"Over half-a-million Wisconsinites have contracted COVID-19, and nearly every Wisconsinite has been impacted by the ongoing economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Thousands of uninsured and underinsured Wisconsinites are anxious, not only about what the possibility of contracting COVID-19 could mean for their health and that of their family, but also for their financial stability," wrote Senator Baldwin in her letter.

"An immediate SEP, paired with restored outreach funding and support for the Navigator Program, would give Wisconsin families a level of reassurance and security that has been absent during President Trump's time in office. States, including Wisconsin, stand ready to work with you during a SEP. Families already struggling to make ends meet in light of the global pandemic need and deserve comprehensive, affordable health insurance."

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January 19, 2021

To: The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President-elect, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave N.W., Washington, D.C. 20230

Dear President-Elect Biden:

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that all Americans have the support they need to obtain comprehensive, affordable health coverage. For almost a year, we have watched the Trump administration's response to this crisis ignore public health guidance and cast the needs of Wisconsinites aside. I write to urge you to immediately open a special enrollment period (SEP) for the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) online marketplace, and to restore funding for the Navigator Program and the ACA's outreach and enrollment efforts.

More Americans are uninsured today than when President Trump took office./1 During his time in office, he has sought to undermine access to comprehensive coverage, including by cutting back the open enrollment period for the ACA's marketplace and slashing funding for outreach and enrollment and the Navigator Program./2 During the COVID-19 pandemic, this sabotage has continued. Time and again, the Trump administration played politics and ignored public health guidance by refusing to open a SEP./3 Millions of Americans have become uninsured this year/4, and it is heartless that President Trump locked out the uninsured and underinsured from accessing the health coverage they desperately needed during an unprecedented public health crisis.

Over half-a-million Wisconsinites have contracted COVID-19, and nearly every Wisconsinite has been impacted by the ongoing economic crisis caused by the pandemic./5 Thousands of uninsured and underinsured Wisconsinites are anxious, not only about what the possibility of contracting COVID-19 could mean for their health and that of their family, but also for their financial stability. An immediate SEP, paired with restored outreach funding and support for the Navigator Program, would give Wisconsin families a level of reassurance and security that has been absent during President Trump's time in office. States, including Wisconsin, stand ready to work with you during a SEP./6 Families already struggling to make ends meet in light of the global pandemic need and deserve comprehensive, affordable health insurance.

Sincerely,

Tammy Baldwin, United States Senator

See footnotes here https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/20210115%20STB%20Letter_Open%20Enrollment%20and%20Outreach.pdf