Agenda - Council - 09/13/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Medicaid and CHIP enrollment increased by 9 percent from February to September 2020168 and 8.3 million people enrolled in insurance through the ACA marketplace.169 Although the ACA, CHIP, and Medicaid have significantly reduced the number of uninsured Americans through the pandemic and the economic downturn, adequate coverage and affordability still remains an issue for many. In 2020, 21 percent of working -age adults were inadequately insured, meaning even if they had insurance, they incurred a significant amount of out-of-pocket costs.170 Additionally, 37 percent of adults reported struggling with medical bills or medical debt and 71 percent of adults who did not purchase insurance cited affordability as the main factor.171 Treasury Response: Treasury agrees that loss of health insurance, increased financial risk from lacking health insurance, or excessive out-of-pocket healthcare costs constitute negative economic impacts of the pandemic. Under the final rule, programs or services to expand access to health insurance coverage are an enumerated eligible use as assistance to households, for example, subsidies for health insurance premiums or expansion of a recipient's health insurance plan to cover additional employees who currently lack coverage. 168 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Trends Snapshot through September 2020 (Washington: 2021), available at https://www.medicaid.gov/sites/default/files/2021-01/september- medicaid-chip-enrollment-trend-snapshot.pdf. 169 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2021 Federal Health Insurance Exchange Weekly Enrollment Snapshot: Final Snapshot (January 12, 2021) available at https://www.cros.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2021-federal- health-insurance-exchange-weekly-enrollment-snapshot-final-snapshot. 17o Sara R. Collins, Munira Z. Gunja, and Gabriella N. Aboulafia, U.S. Health Insurance Coverage in 2020: A Looming Crisis in Affordability (New York: Commonwealth Fund, 2020), available at https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2020/aug/looming-crisis-health-coverage-2020- biennial. 171 Id. 113