CMS ends ACA special enrollment, changes deadline for signing up
President Donald Trump's administration is making some changes to policy regarding how and when patients may enroll in health plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace, moving the annual date from Jan. 15 to Dec. 15, one month earlier.
The new enrollment cutoff, effective this calendar year, was announced on March 10 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the official website of the federal government’s insurance marketplace has been updated to reflect the change.
CMS said the change was made to “root out” “improper enrollments," which it said are a burden to taxpayers. The agency added that the new guidelines will make it easier to protect consumers from being enrolled in a plan “without their knowledge or consent,” something CMS has previously admitted is a problem caused by unscrupulous brokers.
Additional changes also impact access for patients who choose not to sign up for coverage. Currently, regulations allow for monthly special enrollment periods for individuals with household incomes below 150% of the federal poverty level, specifically those facing a new diagnosis. CMS is ending this carve-out, claiming that it “allows people to wait to enroll until they become sick instead of promoting continuous enrollment that fosters prevention and better health outcomes.”
The new deadline means plans go into effect on Jan. 1 to match the new year. State-run marketplaces will continue to be regulated based on local jurisdiction, where deadlines have always varied.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.