<p> Fulfilling a campaign promise, President Joe Biden plans to reopen the HealthCare.gov insurance markets for a special sign-up opportunity geared to people needing coverage in the coronavirus pandemic.</p>.<p>Biden is expected to sign an executive order Thursday, said two people familiar with the plan, whose details were still being finalized.</p>.<p>They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending order ahead of a formal announcement.</p>.<p>Although the number of uninsured Americans has grown because of job losses due to the economic hit of COVID-19, the Trump administration resisted calls to authorize a “special enrollment period” for people uninsured in the pandemic.</p>.<p>Failure to repeal and replace “Obamacare” as he repeatedly vowed to do was one of former President Donald Trump's most bitter disappointments.</p>.<p>His administration continued trying to find ways to limit the programme or unravel it entirely.</p>.<p>A Supreme Court decision on Trump's final legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act is expected this year.</p>.<p>The White House had no comment on Biden's expected order, but the two individuals familiar with the plan said the new enrollment period would not go into effect immediately.</p>.<p>Instead, the White House wants to provide time for the Department of Health and Human Services to mount a marketing campaign, and for insurers to get ready for an influx of new customers.</p>.<p>The Obama-era health care law covers more than 23 million people through a mix of subsidized private insurance sold in all states, and expanded Medicaid adopted by 38 states, with Southern states being the major exception.</p>.<p>Coverage is available to people who don't have job-based health insurance, with the Medicaid expansion geared to those with low incomes.</p>.<p>Biden's order would directly affect HealthCare.gov, the federal insurance marketplace currently serving 36 states. The marketplace concluded a successful annual sign-up season in December, with enrollment for 2021 growing by about 7 per cent.</p>.<p>Final numbers for this year that include insurance markets directly run by the states will be available soon.</p>.<p>Opening the insurance markets is also likely to result in higher Medicaid enrollment, since people who qualify for that program are automatically referred.</p>.<p>The special sign-up opportunity is only a down payment on health insurance for Biden, who has promised to build on former President Barack Obama's health law to push the US toward coverage for all.</p>.<p>For that he'd need congressional approval, and opposition to the health law still runs deep among Republicans.</p>.<p>White House press secretary Jen Psaki signaled Tuesday that Biden is also looking at limiting or reversing Trump administration actions that allowed states to impose work requirements for able-bodied low-income adults as a condition of getting Medicaid.</p>.<p>Such rules are seen as a way to cull the program rolls.</p>.<p>“President Biden does not believe, as a principle, it should be difficult ... for people to gain access to health care,” she said.</p>.<p>“He's not been supportive in the past, and is not today, of putting additional restrictions in place.”</p>.<p>Of some 28 million uninsured Americans before the pandemic, the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimates, more than 16 million were eligible for some form of subsidized coverage through the health law.</p>.<p>Experts agree that number of uninsured people has risen because of layoffs, perhaps by 5 million to 10 million, but authoritative estimates await government studies due later this year.</p>
<p> Fulfilling a campaign promise, President Joe Biden plans to reopen the HealthCare.gov insurance markets for a special sign-up opportunity geared to people needing coverage in the coronavirus pandemic.</p>.<p>Biden is expected to sign an executive order Thursday, said two people familiar with the plan, whose details were still being finalized.</p>.<p>They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending order ahead of a formal announcement.</p>.<p>Although the number of uninsured Americans has grown because of job losses due to the economic hit of COVID-19, the Trump administration resisted calls to authorize a “special enrollment period” for people uninsured in the pandemic.</p>.<p>Failure to repeal and replace “Obamacare” as he repeatedly vowed to do was one of former President Donald Trump's most bitter disappointments.</p>.<p>His administration continued trying to find ways to limit the programme or unravel it entirely.</p>.<p>A Supreme Court decision on Trump's final legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act is expected this year.</p>.<p>The White House had no comment on Biden's expected order, but the two individuals familiar with the plan said the new enrollment period would not go into effect immediately.</p>.<p>Instead, the White House wants to provide time for the Department of Health and Human Services to mount a marketing campaign, and for insurers to get ready for an influx of new customers.</p>.<p>The Obama-era health care law covers more than 23 million people through a mix of subsidized private insurance sold in all states, and expanded Medicaid adopted by 38 states, with Southern states being the major exception.</p>.<p>Coverage is available to people who don't have job-based health insurance, with the Medicaid expansion geared to those with low incomes.</p>.<p>Biden's order would directly affect HealthCare.gov, the federal insurance marketplace currently serving 36 states. The marketplace concluded a successful annual sign-up season in December, with enrollment for 2021 growing by about 7 per cent.</p>.<p>Final numbers for this year that include insurance markets directly run by the states will be available soon.</p>.<p>Opening the insurance markets is also likely to result in higher Medicaid enrollment, since people who qualify for that program are automatically referred.</p>.<p>The special sign-up opportunity is only a down payment on health insurance for Biden, who has promised to build on former President Barack Obama's health law to push the US toward coverage for all.</p>.<p>For that he'd need congressional approval, and opposition to the health law still runs deep among Republicans.</p>.<p>White House press secretary Jen Psaki signaled Tuesday that Biden is also looking at limiting or reversing Trump administration actions that allowed states to impose work requirements for able-bodied low-income adults as a condition of getting Medicaid.</p>.<p>Such rules are seen as a way to cull the program rolls.</p>.<p>“President Biden does not believe, as a principle, it should be difficult ... for people to gain access to health care,” she said.</p>.<p>“He's not been supportive in the past, and is not today, of putting additional restrictions in place.”</p>.<p>Of some 28 million uninsured Americans before the pandemic, the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimates, more than 16 million were eligible for some form of subsidized coverage through the health law.</p>.<p>Experts agree that number of uninsured people has risen because of layoffs, perhaps by 5 million to 10 million, but authoritative estimates await government studies due later this year.</p>