It\u2019s open enrollment season for the Affordable Care Act \u2014 and there are ongoing challenges.<\/p>\n
First up, enrollment.<\/p>\n
New and returning sign-ups through\u00a0healthcare.gov<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the federal marketplace that serves\u00a031<\/strong>\u00a0states<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 are well below last year\u2019s rate. New enrollments\u00a0were just over\u00a0730,000<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in early December,\u00a0compared with\u00a01.5 million<\/strong>\u00a0at the same time last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n To give consumers in those states more time to enroll, the\u00a0Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services<\/strong>\u00a0extended the deadline to Wednesday to sign up for coverage that starts Jan. 1. (Open enrollment itself ends in most states on Jan. 15, for coverage that would begin Feb. 1.)<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Biden administration is seeking to put on hold an order by a federal judge in North Dakota who\u00a0ruled in favor of\u00a019<\/strong>\u00a0states<\/a>\u00a0that challenged a rule allowing \u2014\u00a0for the first time<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 enrollment in ACA coverage by \u201cdreamers,\u201d people brought to the United States as children without immigration paperwork.<\/p>\n The Dec. 9 ruling effectively barred those who qualified for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in the\u00a019\u00a0<\/strong>states from enrolling in or getting subsidies for ACA plans. It does not appear to affect enrollment or coverage in other states, lawyers following the case have said.<\/p>\n On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit granted a temporary stay of the order at the government\u2019s request. A final decision, expected any day, could extend the stay while the court hears the appeal.<\/p>\n The Biden administration argues that North Dakota hasn\u2019t proved it would be harmed by the rule \u2014 and that not granting a stay would be disruptive. The Dec. 9 order would cause the federal government to incur financial costs if it has to retool the marketplace to reflect the change and notify those who have already enrolled that their plans are canceled, the administration argued.<\/p>\n The original case was filed<\/a>\u00a0in August in U.S. District Court in North Dakota and is being heard by District Judge Daniel Traynor, who was nominated in 2019 by then-President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n Previously, the federal government\u00a0estimated that about\u00a0100,000<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0uninsured people out of a half-million DACA recipients might sign up for 2025 coverage. In its new filing, the government says\u00a02,700<\/strong>\u00a0have enrolled through the federal marketplace, and an unknown number in states involved in the litigation that run their own state-based marketplaces.<\/p>\n The Biden administration rule, finalized in May, clarified that those who qualify for DACA would be considered \u201clawfully present\u201d for the purpose of enrolling in plans under the ACA.<\/p>\n All the states challenging the ACA rule say it will cause administrative and resource burdens as more people enroll, and that it will encourage additional people to remain in the United States when they don\u2019t have permanent legal authorization.<\/p>\n This article is not available for syndication due to republishing restrictions. If you have questions about the availability of this or other content for republication, please contact NewsWeb@kff.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\nUSE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n