Governor Gretchen Whitmer is blasting the Trump administration’s refusal to allow an additional Affordable Care Act enrollment period. It would be for people who’ve lost other insurance coverage during the COVID-19 crisis.
Whitmer and 11 other governors – all Democrats -- sent a letter to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services seeking a special enrollment period of at least 30 days. The request was denied, as was a request to reconsider.
In a letter dated September 1, CMS Director Seema Verma wrote to Whitmer:
“The Trump Administration has taken bold action to respond to this pandemic and to support Americans affected by the virus. This includes taking steps to ensure people who are uninsured at this time can access testing and treatment for COVID-19, as well taking steps to ensure that people who have lost job-based coverage to gain coverage through HealthCare.gov.”
But Whitmer said without an additional enrollment period, that leaves too many people without an immediate option.
“The Trump administration’s cruel and inexplicable refusal to expand health coverage during the worst public health crisis in modern history has devastated families across the country and hurt our economy,” Whitmer said in a press release.
The other governors who signed the letter are from Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
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