Lindsey Stevenson, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Barton County; Article reviewed/approved by Brenda Procter, Associate Extension Professor and State Specialist, Personal Financial Planning, University of Missouri Extension
Recently there has been a lot of talk and worry about what is going to happen to the health insurance marketplace and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) when President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Here is some information about what we currently know and a little about what we don’t know regarding the ACA.
- Open enrollment will continue through January 31, 2017. There will be no changes during this open enrollment period, and because insurance plans are considered contracts, plans should remain as they are now through 2017 (for one year). If you enroll by December 15, 2016, you can start receiving coverage on January 1, 2017.
- We cannot speculate on politics but we do know that President-elect Trump has indicated a desire to “repeal and replace” the ACA. At this point, nobody knows what the replacement will look like. We also know that Governor-elect Greitens does not favor expanding Medicaid in Missouri.
- Typically, repeal efforts have a transition period so it is unlikely that the ACA will change overnight even if it is repealed. If the ACA is repealed, it will not be a quick or simple process because it is a set of interconnected pieces touching on different parts of government. For now, the ACA remains the law of the land and change could take months or even years. Any predictions being made at this point are pure speculation. Nobody knows what will happen or how it will play out.
Some of the information being shared through various media sources may be speculation, so it is important to get the facts from a well-informed source. As a nonpartisan entity, University of Missouri Extension provides information to help Missouri residents make informed health insurance decisions. We can also help you get in touch with a Certified Application Counselor or an ACA Navigator. For more information, visit our Health Insurance Education Initiative website or contact your local University of Missouri Extension office.
