Trump is refusing to reopen the Obamacare exchanges to help millions of uninsured Americans get coverage during the coronavirus pandemic

Eliza Relman

April 1, 2020 2:56 PM

President Donald Trump has decided not to reopen the Obamacare marketplace to allow uninsured Americans to purchase health insurance amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump coronavirus

A host of health insurance companies and Democratic lawmakers have pushed the White House to temporarily open up the exchanges and Trump last week said he was considering the move.
The exchanges will still be open to those who recently lost their jobs, which includes hundreds of thousands of Americans who've recently become unemployed as a result of the pandemic.
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President Donald Trump has decided not to reopen the Obamacare marketplace to millions of uninsured Americans as the coronavirus continues its spread across the country, multiple news outlets reported this week.

A host of health insurance companies and Democratic lawmakers have called on the White House to open up the exchanges for a special enrollment period during the pandemic. Notably, the exchanges will still be open to those who recently lost their jobs, which includes hundreds of thousands of Americans who've recently become unemployed as a result of the pandemic.

But about a third of US states' healthcare exchanges aren't controlled by the federal government and several Democratic-led states have already reopened their exchanges.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services referred comment to the White House, which didn't respond to Insider's request prior to publication.

Every year, HealthCare.gov opens for enrollment from November 1 to December 15 in states whose enrollment is managed by the federal government.

Trump reportedly considered a special enrollment period and last week he told reporters "it's something we're talking to a lot of people about."

Republicans tried and failed to repeal Obamacare in 2017 it's top legislative goal, but more than a dozen Republican states are currently suing to overturn the legislation and strip insurance from millions of Americans.

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