WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 1, 2017) Yesterday, the Trump Administration slashed millions of dollars from the government’s budget that were intended to support the promotion of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) upcoming annual open enrollment period, slated to begin on November 1. These funds were to be used to support marketing efforts and the hiring of “navigators,” who assist consumers throughout the enrollment process. Now, these promotional and marketing efforts may be significantly compromised. In addition, the enrollment period has been cut in half – to just 45 – days and will now end on December 15, 2017 instead of January 31, 2018.
“This is an egregious abuse of the powers of the Executive Branch, which is being used to sabotage the effectiveness and reach of a health care law that has helped millions of Americans,” said Linda Goler Blount, president and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative. “The ACA has made it possible for millions of Black women to obtain health care insurance—many for the first time—so that they can enjoy access to preventative services, reproductive health services, education and counseling, and many other forms of health care treatment that they can afford. This Administration, unable to fulfill a partisan campaign promise to repeal the ACA, is now taking out its frustrations on the American people, including those who have not yet reaped the benefits of the law. This is beyond abusive. The Administration has now made the enrollment process deliberately confusing and inaccessible by limiting the amount of time Americans can learn about the importance of health insurance. This means that many Americans will miss the opportunity to gain access to affordable, quality health insurance because of a lack of awareness or simple confusion regarding the enrollment process and timeline. Instead of expanding access to health care, yet another barrier to accessing a legal and life-saving benefit has been created.
We as a country need to come together to build upon the success of the ACA and to ensure that all individuals have access to affordable, quality health care, which is what the ACA intended. I urge the Congress and this Administration to put aside ideology and partisan gamesmanship and do what they were elected to do – work together for the benefit and well-being of the American public.”
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About the Black Women’s Health Imperative
The Black Women’s Health Imperative identifies the most pressing health issues that affect the nation’s 21 million Black women and girls and invest in the best of the best strategies, partners and organizations that share our goal: ensuring Black women live longer, healthier, more prosperous lives.
Media Contact: Andrea Collier – acollier@bwhi.org