Biden administration to spend $99 million on navigator grants to bolster Obamacare outreach

Building on the record number of Americans who signed up for Obamacare health insurance this year, the Biden administration said Friday it will spend nearly $99 million to bolster outreach to consumers seeking coverage.

The Department of Health and Human Services will spread the money among 59 “navigator” groups, which help consumers find coverage through state and federal health exchanges, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

More than 14.5 million Americans signed up for health insurance through state or federal exchanges during the most recent enrollment period that ended Jan. 15. The previous record of nearly 12.7 million came in 2016, the final year of President Barack Obama's administration. Signups dipped below 12 million from 2018 through 2020, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

The pandemic relief package passed in 2021 made coverage less expensive for lower and middle-income earners who directly purchase plans on federal and state insurance exchanges. But HHS officials touted the agency's $80 million in grants to hire more than 1,500 navigators who reached consumers at community libraries, vaccination clinics, food drives and county fairs.

Biden administration officials said the outreach investment over the past two years is necessary to rebuild the ranks of in-person assisters. President Donald Trump's administration slashed program funding by more than 70%, arguing most Americans didn't need in-person assistance because they were familiar enough with shopping for their own coverage.

More: Trump administration slashes funding for Obamacare outreach program

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said the program is vital to reach people who aren’t aware they may be eligible for free or discounted coverage.

“Navigators in particular really focused on the harder-to-reach population,” Brooks-LaSure said. “There are people coming to our country every day who don’t know that there are affordable options available to them.”

Brooks-LaSure said targeted efforts by navigator groups paid dividends during the last enrollment period with a record percentage signups among Blacks and Hispanics.

“It feels like navigators and our expanded outreach efforts have been a huge part of that,” she said.

HHS said this year's funding infusion includes $12.5 million for "direct outreach, education and enrollment activities" to help people move from Medicaid to marketplace coverage. Enrollment for marketplace coverage begins in November and ends Jan. 15, 2023. People can sign up outside enrollment due to life changes such as job losses or divorce. Medicaid, which provides coverage to low income individuals and families, takes applications year-round.

Millions of Americans who gained Medicaid coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic will need to find other insurance when the Biden administration declares the public emergency over. Kaiser Family Foundation estimates 5 million to 14 million Americans could lose Medicaid when states begin to unwind coverage

The federal government provided billions in federal aid to states on the condition that they would not remove people from Medicaid until the public health emergency ends. The public emergency, now set to expire mid-October, has been extended every 90 days for the past two years. When the emergency is finally over, those people who are no longer eligible will need to transition to new coverage.

People who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid may still be eligible for discounted coverage under subsidies extended through the Inflation Reduction Act, Brooks-LaSure said.

"Our approach is really making sure that people are enrolled in whatever coverage they're eligible for," she said, "and over the last year and a half or so, we have seen record enrollment in all of our programs."

Ken Alltucker is on Twitter at @kalltucker, or can be emailed at alltuck@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden to spend $99M on navigators to help people sign up for Obamacare