Administration awards $100 million to health care navigators

WASHINGTON - The Biden-Harris Administration has awarded a new round of $100 million to help organizations that work with underserved communities, consumers and small businesses find and enroll in health coverage through healthcare.gov, the Health Insurance Marketplace. Navigators offer free assistance to people exploring health coverage options through HealthCare.gov, from reviewing available plans to assisting with eligibility and enrollment forms, and post-enrollment services such as using their coverage to get care. Navigators can also assist people in helping enroll in or renew Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage. Navigators are vetted and trained to provide support for the millions who have enrolled in ACA coverage under the Biden-Harris Administration. “The Biden-Harris Administration believes that health care should be a right. We are committed to ensuring that all communities and individuals are connected to affordable, high-quality health coverage. And to help make that possible, we are making the single largest investment ever in the history of the Navigator program,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Under President Biden and Vice President Harris, Navigators have helped educate and enroll millions in quality coverage, contributing to the lowest uninsurance rate in our nation’s history, including record enrollments in communities often left behind.” This year’s Marketplace Open Enrollment begins Nov. 1. During the plan year 2024 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period, a record 21.4 million people selected health care plans through HealthCare.gov and state-based Marketplaces.