The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced last week $60 million dollars in funding for navigators to help people sign up for health insurance during the second round of open-enrollment period in the marketplace.
The health insurance marketplace is a key component of the Affordable Care Act.
This next open enrollment period begins November 15.
Although the open enrollment period is over, there are still people navigators are working with – young adults who are no longer covered under their parents insurance, those who lose employer coverage, have gotten married or had a baby or moved into a new state.
There are still about a million uninsured Pennsylvanians.
Last year $67 million dollars went towards navigators. Organizations who are or want to be navigators have to reapply for the monies, and there will be some changes to how navigators are vetted and where they are expected to be this year.
“Navigators will be required to maintain physical presence in the marketplace service area so they have more opportunity for face to face assistance and navigator grant applicants will also be encouraged to perform background checks for all navigator staff that will be handling sensitive or personal identifiable information,” said Lorraine Ryan, a public affairs officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
