Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Sun editorial:

Affordable health insurance is still available, but time is running out

If you need health care insurance or know someone who does, please see Page 8 of today’s issue of the Sun.

There, you’ll find a community service announcement offering information about how to sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, which the Sun has been publishing since the start of the month.

We’re spotlighting the announcement in this space today for a very important reason. Today and Saturday are the last days to sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act this year, so now is the time to act for those needing coverage.

Sadly, many uninsured Americans are passing up the ACA this year. That’s according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which reported Wednesday that 20 percent fewer new people had signed up than at the same point in 2017.

That’s too bad, because good coverage remains available through the ACA. Premiums are stable and financial help is available for lower-income enrollees, too. And despite efforts by the Trump administration and the Republican Party to kill or gut the ACA — or Obamacare, as it’s often called — key provisions of it remain intact. Among them: Insurers can’t reject applicants who have pre-existing conditions, nor can they charge them more for coverage.

President Donald Trump and the GOP largely are to blame for Americans losing out.

In repealing the individual mandate to obtain insurance, they reduced the incentive for people to look into ACA plans. And for the second consecutive year, cuts in spending on advertising and outreach made it more difficult to spread word to consumers about the availability of plans.

That said, health care experts say there’s been less media coverage of the ACA this year, and low unemployment might also be a factor.

There also may be confusion over the outcome of last year’s votes in Congress on the issue.

For the record, though, the ACA remains the law of the land.

In Nevada, the situation is a little better than the national average, but it’s still not great. About 12 percent fewer Nevadans had signed up this year than at this point in 2017.

With plans waiting for the taking and subsidies available for qualified individuals, though, it would be a shame for uninsured Nevadans not to enroll.

So please, take a look at Page 8. It could literally make a difference in your life, or in the life of someone you know.