Wolf Administration Officials Respond to Trump Administration Navigator Funding Cuts for Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, July 12 -- The Pennsylvania Insurance Department issued the following news release:

Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman and Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller today responded to the Trump Administration's severe funding cuts for navigators who help individuals learn about and sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

"The Trump Administration's decision to slash funding by 72 percent, from $36 to $10 million nationally, for navigators to help individuals enroll in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, is one more attempt to undermine this successful law, and deprive Pennsylvanians of access to health insurance," Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman said. "Last year, the Trump administration already cut navigator funding from $100 million to $37 million, so this year's cuts result in a combined 90% reduction in funding for this critical program. We do not yet know the impact on funding specifically for Pennsylvania's navigators, who last year received 1.99 million to provide health insurance education, outreach, and enrollment assistance.

"Having worked closely with Pennsylvania's navigators as they assisted people searching, shopping for, and signing up for health insurance, I have seen personally what a difference these trained people make. Navigators fill a distinctive role in helping the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, including those who have trouble enrolling online due to lack of internet access or because of a language barrier and many Pennsylvanians turn to them year after year for assistance in making critical decisions about their coverage.

"In addition to these cuts to the navigator program, the Trump Administration further attempted to create barriers for consumers to enroll in ACA coverage by slashing advertising by 90 percent and cutting the open enrollment period in half. In response, Governor Tom Wolf stepped up. The governor directed state agencies to work with the remaining navigators, consumer groups, insurers, hospitals, legislators, community health centers and others to get the word out about the shorter open enrollment period, and where and how to get help. The governor's effort successfully countered the Trump Administration's attempt to undercut the ACA, as nearly as many Pennsylvanians signed up in 2018 as in 2017.

"Governor Wolf's commitment is as strong this year, and we will follow through to make sure Pennsylvanians continue to have the information they need to make decisions about their coverage."

"More than 700,000 Pennsylvanians now have health insurance due to the Medicaid expansion, and health insurance navigators play a significant role in helping these individuals access and understand their benefits," Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller said.

"Navigators don't just help someone enroll in Medicaid or a private health insurance plan - they help people understand their benefits so they and their families can stay healthy. Our health care system can be confusing. It changes often, and these changes can leave people not knowing where to begin. Navigators are often the gatekeeper to necessary, regular health care for people who might have been uninsured or had infrequent access to health care.

"Funding reductions to this program will only result in Pennsylvanians being steered away from comprehensive health care. This will lead to more people not using benefits they are entitled to and instead result in more going uninsured or underinsured, turning to emergency rooms for routine treatment or going without care.

"The federal government should work to make comprehensive, high-quality health care more accessible to all Americans rather than undermining the work that navigators do to ensure the people can access basic and essential health care."