On Wednesday, the Trump administration released a final rule that will expand the availability of short-term health plans.

With the federal open enrollment period coming to a close this Friday, December 15, we still don’t know what the next year (or even the next month) will bring for health care, even as we see each and every day what...

As we near the end of this year’s open enrollment period (the final deadline is December 15th!), we’re happy to report that marketplace plans at HealthCare.gov continue to be better than ever for transgender people.

On Thursday, September 14, the Trump Administration dealt many Navigator programs across the country a lethal blow by sending funding announcements, many with substantial cuts, to the organizations that provide in-person assistance to consumers in federally facilitated marketplaces (FFMs). This...

New research confirms what we’ve known all along – the Affordable Care Act (ACA) improves the lives of families. According to a recent Health Affairs analysis, over 700,000 children who were eligible for Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)...

What young adults stand to lose with the ACA opposition plan of repeal and delay >>

On November 11, many of us will gather to mark Veterans Day and to honor the courageous individuals who have served our country.

This blog was originally posted on the Families USA website. The uninsured rate is at an all-time low, as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made it possible for 20 million, and counting, to get covered and stay covered. However,...

Transitioning between Medicaid and Marketplace coverage can create health care potholes for consumers, placing them in harm’s way. Transitioning coverage can be further complicated by challenges with health literacy and health insurance literacy

It was a beautiful spring day to be in a conference room, but inside, people’s energy did not wane. I felt like I was in a room of scientists – listening to presentations, brainstorming ideas, evaluating new approaches – all...

Gun violence in the US seems to have reached epidemic proportions averaging at least one mass shooting per day in 2015. According to OECD data 87 percent of the children in the developed world who die from gun violence live in the...

Just in time for this open enrollment period, there’s a great new tool to help women get started using their health insurance.

UnitedHealth’s recent fretting about their plans in ACA marketplaces not boosting their bottom line as much as they had hoped and open pondering of pulling out of marketplaces next year (while actually expanding this year) is disappointing in the attention...

On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the Navigator grant recipients for the 2015-2018 open enrollment periods.

Before new coverage options under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) rolled out in October of 2013, Washington CAN! mobilized to make sure the state accepted federal funds to cover low-income adults through Medicaid.

Once open enrollment ends a person can only join a Marketplace health plan, or change to a different one, if they qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

This year my tax season did not start and end, as it typically does, with the latest Turbo Tax software and single W-2 form. Instead the season began a lot earlier and revolved around a trio of brand new Affordable Care Act tax forms.

Over the past five years, we have watched the Affordable Care Act go from a hotly contested piece of legislation to a hotly contested law that, despite non-stop efforts to undermine it, has given millions of American’s access to health care.

The passage of the ACA was a monumental achievement for individuals and organizations across the country. We continue to be incredibly proud of all our state partners who have worked tirelessly to implement the law.

Nearly a year ago, a new partnership was formed to promote outreach and enrollment opportunities for the Bhutanese community in Georgia.

Navigators, assisters, and certified application counselors are the unbiased people who are there helping consumers understand the new insurance options available to them. We want to elevate their voices to share the experience of enrolling people.

Health Care for All is strongly committed to outreach efforts across the state. As outreach workers, we often hear the question: “What strategy or activity is the most effective in enrolling folks in coverage?” The answer is: everything, all the time.

Navigators, assisters, and certified application counselors are the unbiased people who are there helping consumers understand what the Affordable Care Act means for them and the new insurance options available to them through the law. We want to elevate their...

As our Senior Policy Analyst wraps up her 8 years at Community Catalyst, here are her reflections as well as hopes for the future.

The holiday season brings many traditions to look forward to, such as spending time with family and exchanging gifts. There are also some less-favored traditions, though, such as the deluge of holiday-themed advertisements.

With open enrollment in full swing, consumer health advocates are ramping up their outreach to diverse populations that continue to have disproportionately high rates of uninsurance.  Latinos in particular are more likely to be uninsured, with one in three Latinos...

As consumer health advocates celebrated Thanksgiving last week, we had much to be thankful for. As we ate our turkey, we were thankful not only for friends, family and good health, but also for millions of Americans enrolling in health coverage.

The Affordable Care Act’s second open enrollment period starts tomorrow! On Saturday, November 15, millions of Americans can begin enrolling in and renewing their quality, affordable health coverage through the Marketplaces.

Following years of decline, uninsurance rate for children are holding steady, according to a report that Georgetown Center for Children and Families released today. Their annual 50-state report provides a detailed picture of kids’ coverage at the state and national...

As Kevin Counihan takes the reigns as the “Obamacare CEO” of HealthCare.gov and as we all gear up for open enrollment, Community Catalyst hopes that HealthCare.Gov will run as smoothly this year as AccessHealthCT did under Counihan’s leadership.

As Community Catalyst’s Health Equity summer intern, I got to spend some time chatting with Linda Ellis of Georgia’s The Health Initiative about why closing the coverage gap in Georgia, and other states that have yet to expand Medicaid is...

On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services released Navigator grant recipients for the 2014 open enrollment period.

Last week was all about outreach and enrollment and talking up the success of consumer advocates’ work during the first ACA open enrollment period.

This blog was originally posted by the Diverse Elders Coalition here.  Community Catalyst and the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC) are thrilled to announce the launch of two new partnerships on the ground in New Mexico and Georgia. The unlikely partnerships will facilitate the...

May is National Foster Care Month, and it is a great time to reflect on the unique health needs of youth who are or have been in foster care and how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) helps to support these...

In New Jersey, the final enrollment numbers attest to the coordinated efforts enrollment specialists and consumer health advocates activated across the Garden State. With more than 162,000 New Jerseyans enrolled in the Marketplace in this first open enrollment period, and...

The end of the first open enrollment period has brought with it some great news – more than 8 million individuals have enrolled in Marketplace plans since October 2013, and more than 4 million individuals gained coverage through Medicaid and...

This entry was originally posted on the California Coverage & Health Intiatives blog.  The idea that schools are a link to successful children and families is not new. Growing up, my parents received all types of information from my school...

Dev’on Cross was six when his mother was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis. Years later, Dev’on experienced his own set of health problems, including corneal eye ulcers, brain cysts, deafness in his left ear, and two bouts of pneumonia....

First, congratulate yourselves and each other After a horrific start in much of the country, with not only the federal marketplace but also many states as well failing to perform, the first ACA open enrollment period finished on a strong...

Navigators, assisters, and certified application counselors are the unbiased people who are there helping consumers understand what the Affordable Care Act means for them and the new insurance options available to them through the law. We want to elevate their...

Navigators, assisters, and certified application counselors are the unbiased people who are there helping consumers understand what the Affordable Care Act means for them and the new insurance options available to them through the law. We want to elevate their...

Earlier this month, First Lady Michelle Obama visited the Health Council of South Florida (HCSF), one of Community Catalyst’s advocate partners that is helping uninsured Floridians enroll in needed coverage. The Department of Health and Human Services asked HCSF  to...

Navigators, assisters, and certified application counselors are the unbiased people who are there helping consumers understand what the Affordable Care Act means for them and the new insurance options available to them through the law. We want to elevate their...

Since October, more than 5 million people nationwide have enrolled in health insurance through Marketplaces. This could not have happened without the help of thousands of Certified Application Counselors (CACs). Last week, I had the good fortune of spending a...

As March 31 approaches, signaling the end of ACA open enrollment in Marketplaces until fall of this year, in-person assistance programs are of critical importance. Navigators and other enrollment assisters have been working hard across the country to help consumers...

Last year we brought you the Ten Tips for Engaging Communities of Color in Policy Change after meeting with advocates. This year advocates from around the country shared their successes and challenges as they moved through the enrollment period. As...

January’s enrollment updates tell us that the total number of those enrolled in Marketplace health insurance coverage hovers above two million. Another 3.9 million individuals have been determined eligible for state Medicaid and CHIP programs. And we know that more...

Federal Court in Missouri suspends state laws to regulate federally approved counsellors helping consumers enroll in the federal Marketplace

With the deadline to enroll in federal and state marketplaces (for coverage beginning January 1, 2014) approaching on December 23rd, we know that our partners are working tirelessly to reach out to and enroll consumers in health coverage.  In recognition of this...

With the deadline to enroll in federal and state marketplaces (for coverage beginning January 1, 2014) approaching on December 23rd, we know that our partners are working tirelessly to reach out to and enroll consumers in health coverage.  In recognition of this...

With the deadline to enroll in federal and state marketplaces (for coverage beginning January 1, 2014) approaching on December 23rd, we know that our partners are working tirelessly to reach out to and enroll consumers in health coverage.  In recognition of this...

With the deadline to enroll in federal and state marketplaces (for coverage beginning January 1, 2014) approaching on December 23rd, we know that our partners are working tirelessly to reach out to and enroll consumers in health coverage.  In recognition of this...

With the deadline to enroll in federal and state marketplaces (for coverage beginning January 1, 2014) approaching on December 23rd, we know that our partners are working tirelessly to reach out to and enroll consumers in health coverage.  In recognition of this...

On Monday, Politico came out with a story about how Speaker John Boehner and his wife were going to have to pay higher costs as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

To celebrate National Coming Out Day we wanted to showcase the partnership Georgians for a Healthy Future and Georgia Equality have formed over the past year to advance access to health care for the state’s nearly 300,000 LGBT citizens.

As baseball season enters its homestretch, a new season is about to kick off in health care as open enrollment through Obamacare begins for the first time.

As open enrollment approaches, consumers will need accurate information to choose the right health plan. The Affordable Care Act provides assistance to consumers in a variety of flavors.

As we near open enrollment in new health plans, all eyes are on insurance premiums and the rates they are based on. Industry-backed sources have been fueling the media with doomsday scenarios about cost increases due to the ACA.

This is a guest post by Joe Martinez, Consumer Outreach Coordinator for Health Action New Mexico. Be sure to check out HANM’s blog for more coverage of their work.

Advocates, stakeholders, federal and state governments are busy planning strategies for enrolling millions of newly eligible people into health coverage in 2014. But last week, CMS quietly released guidance that could lighten the load on everyone.