A: Call it lowering expectations or a realistic assessment: either way, supporters say they don’t expect a flood of enrollees this week.
Insurance buyers have to pay their first month’s premium within 30 days of choosing a plan and the policies don’t take effect until Jan. 1. As a result, the Obama administration says most people will wait until late November or December. Another surge may come in March as the end of the enrollment period nears.
Q: What happens if the federal government shuts down?
A: The exchanges will march on. That’s because the 2010 law relies primarily on mandatory spending, which congressional inaction can’t stop. It’s the budget category used for benefits such as Medicare, the U.S. health plan for the elderly and disabled, and Social Security.
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department said in a Sept. 27 memo it “would continue large portions of ACA activities, including coordination between Medicaid and the marketplace” in the event of a temporary shutdown.
Core Unaffected
“Many of the core parts of the health-care law are funded through mandatory appropriations and wouldn’t be affected,” Gary Cohen, the director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at HHS, told reporters on Sept. 24.
Q: Okay, so most of the exchanges will be up and running on time. How do you access them?
A: If all goes as planned, those not covered through work will be able to go on line or dial a call-in center, learn if they’re eligible for tax credits and choose from a menu of private plans. The exchanges can be found at www.healthcare.gov.
Q: Who won’t use them?