Trump Administration Faces Lawsuits Over Shortened Affordable Care Act Enrollment Period
New rules by the Trump administration are shortening the Affordable Care Act enrollment period, prompting lawsuits from mayors and healthcare groups concerned about coverage loss.
Overview
- The Trump administration has implemented new rules that shorten the enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
- These changes have sparked lawsuits from mayors and doctor groups, including leaders from Baltimore, Chicago, and Columbus, Ohio.
- Up to 2 million individuals may lose their health coverage due to these new regulations.
- The federal health department's changes also include stricter income verification checks for ACA applicants.
- The lawsuits challenge Trump's efforts to restrict access to Obamacare, highlighting concerns about healthcare access and equity.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the Trump administration's changes to the Affordable Care Act as detrimental, emphasizing the potential loss of coverage for millions. They highlight opposition from mayors and healthcare groups, reflecting a critical stance towards the administration's policies and a bias favoring expanded access to healthcare.
Insurers will be able to deny coverage to people who have not paid their premiums on past plans.
The rules bar roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from signing up for the coverage.
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Center (1)
"…The new rules will force families off their health insurance and raise costs on millions of Americans."
Associated Press·2d·FAQ
The Trump administration has shortened the ACA federal marketplace enrollment period to one month, from November 1 to December 15, starting in 2026, reversing the previous longer enrollment period expanded under the Biden administration.
Mayors and healthcare groups are suing because the new rules are expected to reduce access to affordable health insurance, increase the number of uninsured and underinsured people, and overburden city services, which they argue undermines the ACA’s purpose.
Up to 2 million individuals—nearly 10% of current enrollees—are expected to lose their health coverage because of the new shortened enrollment period and other restrictions.
The Trump administration also introduced stricter income verification checks for ACA applicants as part of the new rules, aiming to prevent fraud but also potentially creating barriers to coverage.
These rules reverse a Biden-era effort that expanded ACA enrollment periods, which led to record enrollment numbers. The new Trump policies shorten the enrollment window and impose stricter eligibility checks, reducing access to coverage.
History
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