To the Editor:

In spite of the Trump administration’s current litigations to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA), it’s a very good thing that the legislation is still in place during this time of record breaking job losses. 

Why is the ACA (termed “Obamacare” by GOP critics) so important right now?  Because of the following special provision:   

“If you have just left your job for any reason and lost your job-based health coverage, you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. This means you can enroll in a Marketplace insurance plan any time of year. You usually have 60 days from the day you lose your coverage to enroll.

News flash: Displaced workers who had employer paid insurance thankfully don’t have to rely on the Trump administration to reopen the enrollment period. That’s good because Trump is refusing to do so.

Displaced workers who lost their coverage can call Mountain Projects to seek enrollment assistance from a Certified Application Counselor or pursue Marketplace enrollment at www.healthcare.gov.

The counselors report they are getting lots of calls.

Another option: Check with a private agency that carries other insurance (car, homeowners, etc), to see if they carry Marketplace plans — some do.

Passed without any Republican support in March 2010, the ACA has survived approximately 70 Republican-led attempts to repeal, modify or otherwise curb the bill’s content. Democratic lawmakers overwhelmingly support it and have fortunately been able to prevail in the voting to prevent repeal.

While the Republican lawmakers referred to their actions as “repeal and replace,” they never produced a replacement plan.

The full name of the bill passed in 2010 is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The inclusion of the Special Enrollment Period in the legislation focuses on one of the guiding principles of the Democratic Party:  protecting workers. 

While Democratic lawmakers could not have foreseen the current health care crisis when they crafted the ACA legislation, the Special Enrollment Period was a key component and it may save lives now. We should all be thankful the bill is still intact. 

Myrna Campbell

Waynesville