Biden signs order to reopen Obamacare in 2 weeks“”here’s what you need to know

Biden signs order to reopen Obamacare in 2 weeks“”here’s what you need to know

President Joe Biden signed a package of health care-related executive orders on Thursday that, among other initiatives, will reopen HealthCare.gov for a special, three-month enrollment period starting on Feb. 15. That means Americans without health insurance have a chance to check out their state's health insurance marketplace options offered through the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, outside the normal Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 period. This can offer many Americans, particularly those who have dealt with unemployment amid the Covid-19 pandemic, another chance to get insurance. About 28.9 million nonelderly Americans were uninsured in 2019, the latest data available. Although losing job-based health insurance qualifies you for a special enrollment period (even if you quit or get fired), it's only available for about 60 days, and many people don't sign up in time. It's estimated that about 7.7 million workers lost their employer-sponsored health insurance due to the pandemic as of June 2020, according to the Commonwealth Fund. Including dependents, about 14.6 million people were affected.The latest special enrollment period also presents a chance for those on a Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) health insurance plan to find a cheaper option. While employers cover about 82% of the plan costs