“This could be a devastating, bankrupting experience when you need care, and you don’t have coverage,” Derksen said.
Tucker agreed that this “unique year” has proven why health insurance coverage is so crucial.
“I think it’s not a time to gamble with your health,” she said. “You might be young and healthy but that doesn’t make you invincible.”
She said the biggest hurdle during open enrollment this year was trying to get the word out to Arizonans through online events. She said that with a cut in funding for ACA outreach, her organization had to work hard to remind people about the dates for the open enrollment period, but even if someone missed the deadline there’s still options available to get coverage.
“It will come as no surprise that the federal government cut funding for open enrollment outreach, so it was all done through (online) events just trying to get the word out,” Tucker said.
Gjersvig the full picture for this year’s open enrollment won’t come out until January, but he’s optimistic. He also said he hopes the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden — who was vice president when Obamacare was enacted — will bring a public information campaign to clear up any misinformation about the ACA.
As for the Supreme Court, which heard arguments in the ACA case, California v. Texas, on Nov. 10, Derksen thinks “it’s highly unlikely that the entire Affordable Care Act will be invalidated.” The court upheld the law once already, in 2012, but the court has shifted to a conservative majority since then. Even if the court disagrees with part of the law now, however, Derksen doubts it will overturn the entire program.
