Two Georgia healthcare providers are suing the Trump administration over its decision to approve the state’s plan to cut ties to Obamacare’s registration website Healthcare.gov.
They argue that Georgia’s plan to encourage Obamacare insurance buyers to buy plans through third-party brokers will make it difficult for people to choose the coverage that fully suits their needs.
“Our intention should be that people have as much information as possible about their options rather than comparing things and doing extensive research just to feel better,” said Kwajelyn Jackson, executive director of Feminist Women’s Health Center.
The Atlanta clinic is accompanied by Planned Parenthood Southeast in a suit against top US Department of Health officials approved Georgia’s proposal late last year. The agency declined to comment on the case.
Plaintiffs are calling on federal judges in the US District Court to block Georgia’s plan before it goes into effect.
The state plans to stop using Healthcare.gov during the 2022 open registration period if people sign up for coverage for the following year. Individuals looking for insurance would be forced to sign up through third-party websites and brokers and directly with insurance companies.
“If the exchange is canceled, the only option for Georgians is to have less access and insurance companies can create junk plans and things that are not in line with US government guidelines [Affordable Care Act]”Said Staci Fox, president of Planned Parenthood Southeast.
The plan, drawn up by authority given by the Affordable Care Act, was a signature policy issue for Governor Brian Kemp. Georgia is also one of a handful of Republican-led states suing for repeal of the health bill.
The Kemp government has argued that Healthcare.gov has never been an effective way for Georgians to choose Obamacare health insurance plans, and that the private sector could improve the connection between people and insurance.
On the same day the lawsuit was filed, Kemp spoke of “Healthcare.gov’s failed promises”. in his annual address to the legislature. His office did not respond to a request for comment on the case.
But the number of Obamacare members in Georgia has grown steadily in recent years. according to trends of the Kaiser Family Foundation. More than 517,000 people used the website of the Federal Exchange to select plans for the current year, a leap in enrollment of more than 53,000.
“If this lawsuit is successful, it will prevent Georgia consumers from becoming unnecessarily uninsured or underinsured,” said Laura Colbert of Georgians For A Healthy Future, a consumer protection group.
“This is especially important in the context of COVID-19 as many people lose their jobs and health insurance and turn to the COVID-19 safety net [Affordable Care Act] Marketplace, ”she continued.
As in most of the country, coronavirus transmission in Georgia is showing little sign of slowing.
Federal health officials said this week The state is in a “full pandemic resurgence” and should expect more COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
The lawsuit was filed just days before the Biden government moved into the White House. It’s not clear how – or if – they intend to change the Trump administration’s approval of Georgia’s plan.
But Fox at Planned Parenthood Southeast wants to make sure Biden’s team knows about it.
“We definitely want to send a flag on the pole to the new government that this is happening in Georgia and that they must act quickly,” she said.
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