U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Pushes for Affordable Care Act Special Enrollment Period, President Biden Delivers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) repeatedly called on the Trump administration to open a special enrollment period during the pandemic, but instead of working to expand access to care, the Trump administration ignored the advice of public health experts and created obstacles for the uninsured and underinsured to access the health coverage they desperately needed during an unprecedented public health crisis.

Last week, Senator Baldwin urged President Biden to open a special enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act’s online marketplace, and today the President announced an executive order to do so.

“I repeatedly called on Trump to do more to protect and expand access to affordable health insurance, which he failed to do. The Trump administration spent four years working to sabotage our health system, and more Americans are uninsured today than when Trump took office,” said Senator Baldwin, a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). “Today, President Biden is taking immediate action to help more Americans gain access to the quality, affordable health insurance they need during this deadly pandemic. I’m looking forward to working with President Biden and his administration to make it easier, not harder, for Americans to get the health care they need at a price they can afford.”

In addition, on Wednesday, Baldwin again cosponsored legislation reintroduced by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) to reverse a damaging rule change made by the Trump administration that increased out-of-pocket costs for millions of Americans and made fewer Americans eligible for the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits, while also causing those who are eligible to receive less in tax credit support. The legislation will rescind this Trump-era guidance and lower out-of-pocket costs to help more Americans get the quality health care coverage they need.