‘We Applaud the Fact that Once Again, Affordable Health Care Will Be Available to Those Who Need It Most in the Midst of This Terrible Pandemic’
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Recently, President Joseph Biden signed an Executive Order intended to help Americans gain access to comprehensive health coverage by re-opening the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) exchange and directing federal agencies to review policies that are undermining the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. The executive order calls for re-opening HealthCare.Gov, the official health insurance marketplace, to anyone who is uninsured and otherwise eligible, without restriction. The new open enrollment period will begin February 15th and end on May 15th.
In response to this latest Executive Order, Melanie L. Campbell, President of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) and Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR), shares her thoughts: “This is a tremendous executive action that President Biden has taken in prioritizing the need for affordable health care in the Biden Administration’s First 100 Days. This action to re-open the ACA insurance marketplace will be extremely helpful, especially for those finding themselves without healthcare during the worst pandemic in American history.
“It is no secret that the Black community has long-suffered from the ongoing health care disparities that exist in this nation. With many of us already suffering from underlying conditions, contracting the COVID19 virus has amounted to a death sentence for too many of our people. Addressing COVID19 and access to affordable health care are among the top issues that Black voters identified that they wanted the next President & Congress to address in our 2020 BWR/Essence Poll and NCBCP Unity 2020 Election Exit Poll.
“Also, many in the labor force within our communities, especially Black women, have been designated as ‘essential workers’ due to their roles as health care providers, grocery clerks, first responders, teachers, etc. They have not been afforded the luxury of working from home during this pandemic, they often do not have the health insurance necessary should they become stricken.
“The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and the Black Women’s Roundtable commend President Biden for making access to health insurance available for those who truly need it most. We look forward to working with the Biden Harris Administration to ensure that everyone within our communities is made aware that the opportunity to secure affordable health care through the HealthCare.gov Marketplace has been made available for a special period starting February 15 -May 15,2021.”
