In 2019, Obamacare Finds It’s Footing With Healthcare Marketplace

Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News and Charles Gaba of ACAsignups.net answer questions about what to expect when hitting the health care exchange.

It’s open enrollment season for health care. Between now until December 15, millions of Americans are trying to make decisions around their healthcare plans and their needs for the coming year. And as always, the process can be full of questions and confusion.

This is now the sixth open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, and Kaiser Health News Chief Washington Correspondent Julie Rovner says the process has changed every year.

“This year, interestingly, what we’re seeing nationwide and in Michigan is slightly lower premiums and slightly more players,” meaning more options for people looking for health coverage, says Rovner on Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson.

She says one of the challenges to the system is the continued effort from the current administration to derail the Affordable Care Act.

“What the Trump administration has been doing is trying to make it not work,” says Rovner.

Here in Michigan, people who work in the health care realm say the last few years have been a “roller coaster ride,” but say things are evening out in 2019.

“Over the last year of so, things seem to have at least mostly settled down,” says Charles Gaba, founder of ACASignups.net, which has been live-tracking Obamacare enrollments since the exchanges launched in October 2013. Gaba notes that bugs with the health care exchange have mostly been ironed out.

Click on the player above to hear Kaiser Health News’ Julie Rovner and Charles Gaba of ACASignups.net discuss the current open enrollment period on Detroit Today.

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  • Detroit Today
    Dynamic and diverse voices. News, politics, community and the issues that define our region. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Today brings you fresh and perceptive views weekdays at 9 am and 7 pm.