BUDGET/HEALTHCARE/HHS/OBAMACARE(ACA)/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s administration is cutting nearly $116 million from outreach programs aimed at signing people up for the Affordable Care Act, a move that has cheered the health law’s opponents but inflamed Democrats who fear the administration is undermining it.
The Department of Health and Human Services plans to spend $10 million during the coming open-enrollment period on advertising, including emails, texts, radio ads and digital promotions, officials said Thursday. That is a 90% drop from about $100 million spent by former President Barack Obama’s administration during the last open-enrollment season.
The enrollment period starts Nov. 1 and lasts 45 days, and HHS officials said there is no evidence the ads have boosted enrollment in the past. About 10.3 million people signed up and paid for coverage as of March 2017, down from 10.8 million in March 2016.
The administration is also cutting grants to organizations that help consumers understand their coverage and financial-aid options under the law. HHS will give $36.8 million in grants in 2017 to such groups, known as ‘navigators,’ a drop of about 40% from the $62.5 million awarded in the previous enrollment period.
Agency officials said they are basing that funding on the navigators’ ability to reach their enrollment goals. An organization that met 30% of its sign-up goal, for example, would get 30% of the grant it had previously received.”
-Stephanie Armour and Anna Wilde Mathews, “Administration Cutting Ads and Grants Aimed at Boosting Affordable Care Act Sign-Ups,” The Wall Street Journal online, Aug. 31, 2017 05:54pm