Letter to Alex Azar, Secretary of the Dept. of Health and Human Services - Senate Dems to HHS: Reopen the ACA Marketplace, Allow more Americans to Get Health Insurance During Covid-19 Pandemic

Letter

Dear Secretary Azar,

We write to urge you to reopen the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) online marketplace through a
unique Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to allow any American to enroll in a comprehensive
health insurance plan. Currently, millions of Americans are uninsured and anxious, not only
about what the possibility of contracting COVID-19 could mean for their health and that of their
family, but also for their financial stability. Opening up the ACA marketplace would provide an
easy pathway to coverage for those who under previous circumstances may have decided to
forego health insurance or purchase a substandard, junk insurance plan, but now in a global
pandemic are in vital need of comprehensive coverage to protect themselves, their families, and
our broader community.
The Trump Administration's reported decision not to open an SEP, despite earlier congressional
requests, and leave millions of Americans uninsured and underinsured during this unprecedented
public health crisis will inevitably mean fewer individuals seeking testing and treatment--
prolonging the spread of the disease--and will put more families in dire financial straits. The
COVID-19 pandemic is also causing millions of people to lose their jobs and their employerprovided health insurance. We should be promoting comprehensive health insurance plans to all
those impacted, not looking to divert funds appropriated to support hospitals, or promoting junk
insurance plans that don't have to provide coverage for needed services or offer consumer
protections.
When the ACA was passed, Congress included the authority to establish SEPs because we
understood that everyday Americans may face extenuating circumstances for which they should
not be penalized. It is inexcusable for you not to exercise that authority during perhaps the
largest extenuating circumstance of our lifetimes, and to choose to lock out millions of
Americans from the ACA exchanges because they failed to predict a sweeping global pandemic.
Furthermore, the Administration's continued promotion of junk plans which are not required to
comply with consumer protections that limit out-of-pocket costs or coverage of essential health
benefits, including those that are needed to pay for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19
such as hospital care, emergency care, laboratory services, or preventive services, leave many
Americans vulnerable. Families already struggling to make ends meet in light of the global
economic downturn should not be exposed to potential financial ruin because of a lack of
comprehensive insurance coverage.
An additional benefit of opening an SEP is that it would publicize to all Americans who have
lost their jobs that the exchanges are open again and that they can enroll in high-quality health
insurance, providing at least a modicum of reassurance during these deeply troubling times.
Given the millions of job losses in recent weeks and the likelihood of millions more in the near
future, now is the time to open up the health insurance marketplace to everyone so that people
know that losing their job does not mean they must also lose access to health insurance coverage.
We believe opening an ACA SEP is the clearest way to cover the millions of uninsured and
underinsured Americans in the 38 states that use the federal platform, and to provide
comprehensive protections for COVID-19-related treatment and prevention. In a demonstration
of the dramatic demand for such a move, all but one of the 13 state-based marketplaces have
opened an SEP, with such high levels of interest that many are now extending the period by
several weeks.
We urge you to put aside the partisan politics of the past, and to expand health coverage to
millions of Americans by opening an SEP expeditiously.

Sincerely,