CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Those interested in signing up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act have until Tuesday night at midnight to enroll in a health insurance plan, all while the future of the law is unclear.
The current enrollment period began Nov. 1, 2016. About 11.5 million people enrolled through the health insurance marketplace as of Dec. 24.
President Donald Trump has said he wants to repeal former President Barack Obama’s health care law, while congressional Republicans have proposed replacement legislation for the current system.
Jeremy Smith, a health insurance navigator for West Virginia NaviCare, said even with all of the talk of repeal and replace, changes regarding health care will not take effect until next year if even then.
“We don’t anticipate people getting kicked off their coverage in the middle of the year,” Smith said. “There’s still a lot of things in place to help families get health insurance, so it is important to go ahead and take advantage of the system that’s in place.”
West Virginia NaviCare is an organization that offers a free service to help people sign up for health insurance.
Smith said the group has been busy trying to help individuals get coverage, especially as the deadline draws closer.
“We have had a lot of calls over the last few days,” Smith said. “We’ve been staying late and even working on weekends just to keep up with the demand.”
Smith said he does not have any specific numbers on the number of people West Virginia NaviCare has helped since open enrollment began, but he would estimate “a few hundred people easily.”
The next open enrollment period will start Nov. 1.