Democratic lawmakers today introduced a bill in the House and Senate that would restore funding to a federal program that helps people enroll in health insurance.
In February, the Trump administration announced a 90% reduction in funding for the Affordable Care Act Navigator program, which helps people in nearly 30 states obtain coverage through the federal marketplace. The bill, first reported by NBC News, would restore the program’s funding to $100 million annually, the amount previously allocated under the Biden administration.
The lawmakers behind the bill — Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Reps. Kathy Castor of Florida and Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania — said in an announcement today that previous cuts to the program contributed to 2.5 million fewer people accessing health care through the federal marketplace. The first Trump administration reduced funding for the program by 84%.
“We have seen this movie before: when he doesn’t get his way to fully repeal it, Donald Trump tries every which way to chip away at the Affordable Care Act,” Baldwin said in the announcement.
The program’s navigators help people find and enroll in affordable plans, which may involve preparing documents to verify their income or apply for subsidies. They also conduct outreach in low-income and minority communities to make residents aware of their health insurance options and help with claims and billing issues once people are enrolled. In addition to marketplace plans, navigators can help enroll people in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The Trump administration has said that navigators don’t have much impact on overall enrollment numbers, and that slashing funding for the program could reduce premiums for some payers. But the program’s supporters argue that it increases enrollment among people who would otherwise be uninsured or underinsured.
A 2022 study found that funding cuts to the navigator program significantly decreased ACA coverage among lower-income adults and overall health insurance coverage among Hispanic adults.