Americans could benefit from a special health care enrollment period after pressure from three Florida lawmakers.
Rep. Darren Sotoa Kissimmee Democrat, addressed a letter asking the President Joe Biden and the Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to allow individuals to access the Health Insurance Market outside the normal registration period. A need existed following the elimination of the requirement for continued coverage authorized by the Families’ Coronavirus First Response Act, the message explained.
Nine lawmakers co-signed the letter, including US representatives. This is Castora Democrat from Tampa, and Maxwell Frosta Democrat from Orlando.
“We have concerns that those who are still eligible for Medicaid may lose coverage because of administrative barriers in their states, such as long wait times or excessive paperwork.” paper read. “We encourage the administration to put policies in place to mitigate these barriers.”
The request yielded quick results. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a special registration period from March 31 of this year to July 31, 2024 for those affected by the change.
Frost’s office said the decision marked a “major health care victory” for more than a million Floridians at risk of losing health care coverage when the requirement for continued coverage expires at the end of March.
“Thanks to the quick work of the Biden administration, our calls for a special registration period were answered,” said Rep. Frost. “Now over 1 million of our fellow Floridians can breathe a sigh of relief and be sure they won’t go without the health care coverage they deserve.”
The CMS order does not change the expiration of the coverage requirement, but will allow those affected the ability to find a new plan on the market and enroll, and still be eligible for any subsidy. In the meantime, the agency will monitor states and ensure compliance with federal law during each state’s “waiver period” as the requirements expire.
“States may need to make programmatic and operational changes to eligibility and enrollment policies, procedures, systems, and operations and consider adopting alternative strategies and mitigation plans to ensure compliance,” the order from CMS said. “CMS is available to consult with states as they prepare and resume renewals and other eligibility determinations. States may contact their CMS state manager for assistance.”
Post views: 0
