Latest news with #MainStreetAlliance
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Mayors sue over Trump's efforts to restrict Obamacare signups
New Trump administration rules that give millions of people a shorter timeframe to sign up for the Affordable Care Act's health care coverage are facing a legal challenge from Democratic mayors around the country. The rules, rolled out last month, reverse a Biden-era effort to expand access to the Affordable Care Act's health insurance, commonly called 'Obamacare' or the ACA. The previous Democratic administration expanded the enrollment window for the coverage, which led to record enrollment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rolled out a series of new restrictions for Obamacare late last month, just as Congress was weighing a major bill that will decrease enrollment in the health care program that Donald Trump has scorned for years. As many as 2 million people – nearly 10% – are expected to lose coverage from the health department's new rules. The mayors of Baltimore, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, sued the federal health department on Tuesday over the rules, saying they will result in more uninsured residents and overburden city services. 'Cloaked in the pretense of government efficiency and fraud prevention, the 2025 Rule creates numerous barriers to affordable insurance coverage, negating the purpose of the ACA to extend affordable health coverage to all Americans, and instead increasing the population of underinsured and uninsured Americans,' the filing alleges. Two liberal advocacy groups – Doctors for America and Main Street Alliance – joined in on the complaint. The federal health department announced a series of changes late last month to the ACA. It will shorten the enrollment period for the federal marketplace by a month, limiting it to 1 November to 15 December in 2026. Income verification checks will become more stringent and a $5 fee will be tacked on for some people who automatically re-enroll in a free plan. Insurers will also be able to deny coverage to people who have not paid their premiums on past plans. The rules also bar roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the US as children from signing up for the coverage. The new rules 'safeguard the future of the marketplace', and will lower premiums for those who remain in the program, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said in a statement. 'The rule closes loopholes, strengthens oversight, and ensures taxpayer subsidies go to those who are truly eligible – that's not controversial, it's common sense,' Nixon said. But the three mayors argue that the polices were introduced without an adequate public comment period on the policies. 'This unlawful rule will force families off their health insurance and raise costs on millions of Americans. This does nothing to help people and instead harms Americans' health and safety across our country,' said Skye Perryman, the president of Democracy Forward, which is representing the coalition of plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The lawsuit does not challenge the Trump administration's restriction on immigrants signing up for the coverage. The Biden administration saw gains in Obamacare enrollment as a major success of the Democratic president's term, noting that a record 24 million people signed up for the coverage, thanks to generous tax breaks offered through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. But the program has been a target of Trump, who has said it is riddled with problems that make the coverage unaffordable for many without large subsidies. Enrollment in the program dipped during his first term in office.
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Mayors sue over Trump's efforts to restrict Obamacare signups
New Trump administration rules that give millions of people a shorter timeframe to sign up for the Affordable Care Act's health care coverage are facing a legal challenge from Democratic mayors around the country. The rules, rolled out last month, reverse a Biden-era effort to expand access to the Affordable Care Act's health insurance, commonly called 'Obamacare' or the ACA. The previous Democratic administration expanded the enrollment window for the coverage, which led to record enrollment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rolled out a series of new restrictions for Obamacare late last month, just as Congress was weighing a major bill that will decrease enrollment in the health care program that Donald Trump has scorned for years. As many as 2 million people – nearly 10% – are expected to lose coverage from the health department's new rules. The mayors of Baltimore, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, sued the federal health department on Tuesday over the rules, saying they will result in more uninsured residents and overburden city services. 'Cloaked in the pretense of government efficiency and fraud prevention, the 2025 Rule creates numerous barriers to affordable insurance coverage, negating the purpose of the ACA to extend affordable health coverage to all Americans, and instead increasing the population of underinsured and uninsured Americans,' the filing alleges. Two liberal advocacy groups – Doctors for America and Main Street Alliance – joined in on the complaint. The federal health department announced a series of changes late last month to the ACA. It will shorten the enrollment period for the federal marketplace by a month, limiting it to 1 November to 15 December in 2026. Income verification checks will become more stringent and a $5 fee will be tacked on for some people who automatically re-enroll in a free plan. Insurers will also be able to deny coverage to people who have not paid their premiums on past plans. The rules also bar roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the US as children from signing up for the coverage. The new rules 'safeguard the future of the marketplace', and will lower premiums for those who remain in the program, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said in a statement. 'The rule closes loopholes, strengthens oversight, and ensures taxpayer subsidies go to those who are truly eligible – that's not controversial, it's common sense,' Nixon said. But the three mayors argue that the polices were introduced without an adequate public comment period on the policies. 'This unlawful rule will force families off their health insurance and raise costs on millions of Americans. This does nothing to help people and instead harms Americans' health and safety across our country,' said Skye Perryman, the president of Democracy Forward, which is representing the coalition of plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The lawsuit does not challenge the Trump administration's restriction on immigrants signing up for the coverage. The Biden administration saw gains in Obamacare enrollment as a major success of the Democratic president's term, noting that a record 24 million people signed up for the coverage, thanks to generous tax breaks offered through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. But the program has been a target of Trump, who has said it is riddled with problems that make the coverage unaffordable for many without large subsidies. Enrollment in the program dipped during his first term in office.
Axios
02-07-2025
- Health
- Axios
Cities sue Trump administration over ACA changes
The cities of Baltimore, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday asked a federal court to overturn new regulations from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that place tighter restrictions on Affordable Care Act enrollment. Why it matters: Shortening the enrollment period and other changes would increase the uninsured and underinsured population and place more financial pressure on city-funded public health programs, the cities argue in their complaint. They also argue that the loss of health insurance will make city residents less able to participate in civic life and have "cascading negative effects on city programs and communities." The Main Street Alliance — a small business advocacy group — and Doctors for America are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for Maryland. State of play: Health and Human Services' regulation shortens the enrollment window for ACA plans on the federal insurance exchange and imposes a $5 monthly premium for consumers with fully subsidized coverage who are automatically reenrolled in ACA coverage, among other changes. HHS projects the policies will decrease ACA exchange plan enrollment by between 725,000 and 1.8 million people. The finalized rule "sets forth a wide range of changes that will render coverage on the Exchanges less affordable, less generous, and harder to obtain," the complaint reads. The complaint states that the Trump administration violated administrative law in finalizing the rule. But HHS maintains that its rule strengthens access to health insurance. "The rule closes loopholes, strengthens oversight, and ensures taxpayer subsidies go to those who are truly eligible — that's not controversial, it's common sense," HHS communications director Andrew Nixon said in an email. The agency has said the rule is necessary to improve program integrity in ACA markets and that it should lower enrollee premiums by 5% next year.
Boston Globe
01-07-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Mayors, doctor groups sue over Trump's efforts to restrict Obamacare enrollment
Advertisement The mayors of Baltimore, Chicago and Columbus, Ohio sued the federal health department on Tuesday over the rules, saying they will result in more uninsured residents and overburden city services. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Cloaked in the pretense of government efficiency and fraud prevention, the 2025 Rule creates numerous barriers to affordable insurance coverage, negating the purpose of the ACA to extend affordable health coverage to all Americans, and instead increasing the population of underinsured and uninsured Americans,' the filing alleges. Two liberal advocacy groups — Doctors for America and Main Street Alliance — joined in on the complaint. The federal health department announced a series of changes late last month to the ACA. It will shorten the enrollment period for the federal marketplace by a month, limiting it to Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 in 2026. Income verification checks will become more stringent and a $5 fee will be tacked on for some people who automatically re-enroll in a free plan. Advertisement Insurers will also be able to deny coverage to people who have not paid their premiums on past plans. The rules also bar roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from signing up for the coverage. HHS said in a statement that the polices 'are temporary measures to immediately tamp down on improper enrollments and the improper flow of federal funds.' The mayors — all Democrats — argue that the polices were introduced without an adequate public comment period on the policies. 'This unlawful rule will force families off their health insurance and raise costs on millions of Americans. This does nothing to help people and instead harms Americans' health and safety across our country,' said Skye Perryman, the president of Democracy Forward, which is representing the coalition of plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The lawsuit does not challenge the Trump administration's restriction on immigrants signing up for the coverage. The Biden administration saw gains in Obamacare enrollment as a major success of the Democratic president's term, noting that a record 24 million people signed up for the coverage, thanks to generous tax breaks offered through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. But the program has been a target of Trump, who has said it is riddled with problems that make the coverage unaffordable for many without large subsidies. Enrollment in the program dipped during his first term in office.
Al Arabiya
01-07-2025
- Health
- Al Arabiya
Mayors, Doctor Groups Sue Over Trump's Efforts to Restrict Obamacare Enrollment
New Trump administration rules that give millions of people a shorter timeframe to sign up for the Affordable Care Act's health care coverage are facing a legal challenge from Democratic mayors around the country. The rules rolled out last month reverse a Biden-era effort to expand access to the Affordable Care Act's health insurance, commonly called Obamacare or the ACA. The previous Democratic administration expanded the enrollment window for the coverage, which led to record enrollment. The Department of Health and Human Services rolled out a series of new restrictions for Obamacare late last month just as Congress was weighing a major bill that will decrease enrollment in the health care program that Republican President Donald Trump has scorned for years. As many as 2 million people – nearly 10 percent – are expected to lose coverage from the health department's new rules. The mayors of Baltimore, Chicago, and Columbus, Ohio, sued the federal health department on Tuesday over the rules, saying they will result in more uninsured residents and overburden city services. 'Cloaked in the pretense of government efficiency and fraud prevention, the 2025 Rule creates numerous barriers to affordable insurance coverage, negating the purpose of the ACA to extend affordable health coverage to all Americans and instead increasing the population of underinsured and uninsured Americans,' the filing alleges. Two liberal advocacy groups – Doctors for America and Main Street Alliance – joined in on the complaint. The federal health department announced a series of changes late last month to the ACA. It will shorten the enrollment period for the federal marketplace by a month, limiting it to Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 in 2026. Income verification checks will become more stringent, and a $5 fee will be tacked on for some people who automatically re-enroll in a free plan. Insurers will also be able to deny coverage to people who have not paid their premiums on past plans. The rules also bar roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the US as children from signing up for the coverage. HHS said in a statement that the policies are temporary measures to immediately tamp down on improper enrollments and the improper flow of federal funds. The mayors – all Democrats – argue that the policies were introduced without an adequate public comment period on the policies. 'This unlawful rule will force families off their health insurance and raise costs on millions of Americans. This does nothing to help people and instead harms Americans' health and safety across our country,' said Skye Perryman, the president of Democracy Forward, which is representing the coalition of plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The lawsuit does not challenge the Trump administration's restriction on immigrants signing up for the coverage. The Biden administration saw gains in Obamacare enrollment as a major success of the Democratic president's term, noting that a record 24 million people signed up for the coverage thanks to generous tax breaks offered through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. But the program has been a target of Trump, who has said it is riddled with problems that make the coverage unaffordable for many without large subsidies. Enrollment in the program dipped during his first term in office.
