Fate of Obamacare hangs in balance at signup deadline

Consumers aren’t wild about the part of the ACA that requires most Americans to be insured or pay a fine-even those who support the law. But that program – which would cost as much as $500 billion over 10 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget – is controversial, with some veterans groups seeing it as partial privatization that could ultimately weaken the VA. About 73,500 additional Marylanders have passively re-enrolled, meaning they will retain their same coverage if they do nothing to change their plans, according to data provided by Andrew Ratner, director of marketing and strategic initiatives at the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange.

The situation for many veterans is compounded by an expected repeal of the Affordable Care Act, a priority for both Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress.

Without the Affordable Care Act, a person who might have a great idea for a business could be “frozen” into their current job, he said. “For an individual who believes that and doesn’t check any further, it could mean that they give up the opportunity to enroll”.

During the current enrollment period that opened November 1, upward of 8.8 million Americans have either signed up for new coverage or re-enrolled, according to Department of Health and Human Service figures. You might not need them, but it can help you feel prepared and provide peace of mind. They took the first step toward that goal earlier this month, when Trump directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies to take steps to reduce the law’s financial burden for health care providers, insurers and others. Sara Stanich, a financial adviser in NY, has a client who is divorcing who opted to get COBRA coverage through her ex’s insurance even though it was more expensive – because it provided three years of coverage she could count on right now.

“Prior to getting the insurance, if I were to get sick, I wouldn’t have gone to the doctor”, he said. “Emergency rooms are a lot more expensive than going to see their doctor in the clinic”. “Of course the republicans will have to say it’s a repeal, but I think it’s going to be more of a repeal and replace”. She said, “There are people who are utilizing their healthcare right now”.

Still don’t have health insurance? The company launched a GoFundMe account on Sunday seeking public contributions to fund the effort. “And so we’re just continuing as we always have and are just hoping for the best at this point”.

“We want to make sure as many people get covered as possible”, Gomez-Tom said.

The numbers closely match those of past year, suggesting that talk of repealing the ACA has had little effect on consumers’ behavior, said Katherine Hempstead, a senior adviser for health care at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic group focused on public health.

Some people in 2014 were forced to forfeit $95 – or 1 percent of their income, depending on which was higher – from tax refunds filed the following spring. “However, we’ve still been able to enroll so many people over the past four years – in fact, in most cases, more than most states across the country”.