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How To Pick A Health Insurance Plan As Obamacare Signups Start

You might not know it, but open enrollment for Obamacare has begun. We’ll look at how to pick best options, under and outside the Affordable Care Act.

This show will air Monday at 11 a.m. EST.

President Trump says the Affordable Care Act – Obamacare – is “dead” and “gone.”  It’s not.  But you’ve got to be quick this year to sign up.  The president has cut the enrollment period in half.  People have questions.  Questions too about their employer-provided insurance.  And all the talk of “cheapy” plans, alternatives.  This hour, On Point:  You’ve got questions.  We’re going to try to give you answers on your health care options now. —Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Sarah Kliff, senior policy correspondent at Vox. (@sarahkliff)

Sabrina Corlette, research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. (@SabrinaCorlette)

Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation. (@larry_levitt)

From Tom’s Reading List:

Vox: The 5 Most Important Things To Know About Obamacare’s Signup Period  — “The 9 million Americans who purchase coverage through the health law’s marketplaces have from now until December 15 to pick their 2018 coverage. For those buying coverage — or just interested observers — here are the five things you need to know about this open enrollment period.”

CNN: How Obamacare Enrollment Will Go Without Obama In The White House — “It’s open enrollment season, including the first sign-up period for the Affordable Care Act — or Obamacare — without President Obama in the White House. That raises a number of big questions — including whether the GOP administration will conduct outreach and other steps considered critical to raising awareness about the enrollment period and its requirements — despite the President’s open opposition to the law.”

New York Times: As Open Enrollment For Obamacare Begins, Confusion Reigns — “In fact, the Affordable Care Act has survived blow after blow since President Trump took office in January, including repeated attempts by Congress to repeal it. But as the fifth open enrollment period starts Wednesday, the law is reeling from continued attacks by Mr. Trump that have sown confusion and anxiety among the roughly 10 million Americans with coverage through its insurance marketplaces and millions more who remain uninsured.”

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Serena Reeves, a health insurance marketplace navigator, helps Rifaah Hussein sign up for healthcare in Lincoln, Neb. (Nati Harnik/AP)
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Serena Reeves, a health insurance marketplace navigator, helps Rifaah Hussein sign up for healthcare in Lincoln, Neb. (Nati Harnik/AP)

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