Congressional Action Needed to Ensure Access to Health Plans

NAIFA has joined a group of organizations asking Congress to ensure that 180 million Americans who receive health care coverage through workplace plans are able to continue receiving private health benefits in light of economic difficulties and job losses caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. The groups, including America’s Health Insurance Plans, the National African American Insurance Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and 28 others, sent a letter to congressional leadership with five specific policy recommendations:

• Provide employers temporary subsidies to offset the costs of preserving health care plans
• Pay Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) costs for workers who have lost their jobs to ensure they are able to maintain health coverage
• Lift restrictions on the use of funds from Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
• Create a special enrollment period (SEP) for health insurance marketplaces for uninsured individuals and families who may not qualify for an existing SEP
• Expand eligibility for federal subsidies for use in the health insurance marketplaces and reduce the required contribution percentage

During the COVID-19 outbreak, it is crucial that Americans keep their access to private, employer-provided health care benefits. The economic stress the pandemic has placed on businesses, families, and individuals has put this access in jeopardy for millions of Americans. NAIFA’s advocacy team is working with policymakers at the federal level and in every state capital to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on insurance and financial professionals, and, especially, on the Main Street consumers they serve.