Obamacare

Tips and advice to get the best bang for your buck during the open enrollment period for the ACA marketplace, which runs through Jan. 15.

As open enrollment into the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace is underway, navigators in Central Florida are prepared to hear from a new type of customer.

Millions now rely on the law for their health coverage — either through private plans or Medicaid — and as Election Day arrives the Affordable Care Act has returned to the spotlight.

Enrollment in Affordable Care Act health plans has grown every year of the Biden administration, leading to record low numbers of people who are uninsured.

Congress would need to pass a new law to continue subsidies that has dramatically boosted enrollment. That could cost as much as $335 billion over the next decade, which Republicans have balked at.

Federal regulators provided more specifics about why they suspended two private sector sites, including concerns about potential overseas accessing of consumer data and suspicions of involvement in enrollment and switching schemes.

The states argue that the federal rule violates a 1996 welfare reform law and the ACA. The lawsuit also claims the rule would encourage more immigrants to come illegally, burdening states and their school systems.

Consumers, without their consent, are being enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans or their coverage is switched. A powerful U.S. senator has introduced legislation to curb the growing problem.

CMS says it has received more than 200,000 complaints in the first six months of the year about people being signed up for Obamacare plans or switched to new plans without their consent.

A flood of litigation — with plaintiffs like small businesses, drugmakers, and hospitals challenging regulations — could leave the country with a patchwork of disparate health regulations.