Yesterday, the Trump administration announced a rule that will kick millions of people off their health care coverage and make it harder for families to enroll through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by shortening the enrollment period and taking away low-income families’ ability to sign up for coverage outside of the six-week enrollment period. The rule establishes more paperwork burdens for enrolling and proving eligibility for tax credits, and targets vulnerable communities that have historically faced barriers to accessing health care by barring immigrants with ‘Dreamer’ status from enrolling in ACA Marketplace plans and banning gender-affirming care from being covered as an essential health benefit.
Millions of Americans depend on the ACA for affordable coverage. In fact, approximately 2 million people will lose their health insurance if this rule goes into effect. Republicans have made it their personal crusade to gut health care to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy, and this is only Trump’s latest attempt to roll back recent achievements in coverage, raise costs for working families, and gut the ACA.
The new rule comes as Republicans continue to refuse to extend a health care tax credit over 20 million Americans rely on, which will force families to pay an average of 90 percent more for their health care and lead an estimated 5 million Americans to lose coverage.
The Hill: Trump Eyes Slashing ACA Enrollment Period.
- “ACA enrollment lasts from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15. According to a proposal released on Monday, the Trump administration is calling for this period to be shortened by one month to Dec. 15.”
- “Remember: During Trump’s first term, he shortened open enrollment to seven weeks and limited outreach, resulting in significant drops in open enrollment. Under the Biden administration, enrollment through the ACA saw consecutive years of record enrollment with 24 million people choosing plans during the most recent open enrollment period. Much of this was credited to expanded ACA subsidies, which are scheduled to expire at the end of this year.”
Axios: Trump Administration Ditches Biden-Era ACA Flexibilities.
- “The Trump administration wants to roll back Biden-era changes to make signing up for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans easier for certain individuals and limit coverage of gender-affirming care.”
- “Between 750,000 and 2 million people will lose their health insurance if all the changes are implemented as proposed, CMS wrote in the rule.”
Reuters: Trump Administration Plans to Restrict Obamacare Enrollment Period.
- “The Trump administration aims to close the enrollment period for Obamacare health insurance plans on December 15, one month earlier than the current deadline, the agency that oversees the program said in a press release.”
KFF Health News: Trump Health Care Proposal Billed as Consumer Protection but Adds Enrollment Hoops.
- “About 24 million Americans signed up for insurance plans sold under the ACA, known popularly as Obamacare, for 2025. The Biden administration achieved record enrollment levels after increasing premium subsidies for many lower-income people, which resulted in reducing the monthly cost of some plans to $0. It also made it easier for some very low-income people to sign up at any time of year, instead of waiting for an enrollment period each fall.”
- “‘Under this banner of trying to crack down on the bad actions of some insurance brokers, they are penalizing consumers, particularly low-income consumers, with more burdensome requirements and more limits on their access to coverage,’ said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor and the co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University.”
Bloomberg: Trump Administration Plans to Limit Obamacare Enrollment Period.
- “The Trump administration is proposing to limit the time frame for people to enroll in health insurance through Affordable Care Act exchanges, according to materials reviewed by Bloomberg News, potentially decreasing the number of people in these types of plans. The annual deadline for people to enroll in health insurance plans is currently Jan. 15, but the Trump administration is proposing regulations that would shorten the enrollment window by a month, to close on Dec. 15 instead. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the insurance marketplaces, will also propose canceling a monthly opportunity for people with incomes below 150% of the federal poverty line to enroll.”
The Hill: Donald Trump Proposes Cutting ACA Enrollment Period, Ending ‘Dreamer’ Coverage.
- “The sweeping rule gives a glimpse of how the Trump administration will handle the signature health law. The move mirrors one made during President Trump’s first term, when he shortened open enrollment to seven weeks. He also slashed funding for advertising and outreach and allowed ‘skimpy’ short-term plans on the market after he tried and failed to repeal the law. Open enrollment numbers dropped significantly. Under former President Biden, there were a record number of people enrolling in Affordable Care Act plans. Last year, 24 million people chose plans during the most recent open enrollment period, mainly due to expanded tax credits that made plans available to people for little or no monthly premiums.”
Modern Healthcare: Trump Administration Plans To Limit ACA Enrollment Period.
- “A record 24 million people chose plans on the ACA marketplaces during the most recent open enrollment period, according to CMS. That’s double the number of people enrolled at the start of Biden’s presidency. The Trump administration said that the proposed change of Dec. 15 as the end of the enrollment window will encourage people to stay covered all year long instead of waiting until they are sick to apply.”
- “The rule would also prohibit insurance plans on the exchanges from providing coverage of gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit.”