Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today condemned the Trump Administration’s reported refusal to authorize a special open enrollment period to allow uninsured Americans to seek health coverage under the Affordable Care Act during the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision will prevent dozens of states including Virginia from opening exchanges to cover people during the greatest health crisis in living memory.

Beyer said:

“This decision may kill Americans.

“President Trump’s record on health care was already abysmal, from his ongoing attempts to sabotage and repeal the Affordable Care Act to his weakening of Medicaid and approval of junk plans. But this is a new low which will seriously harm people in Virginia and across the country.

“People have already died because they did not have access to healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. The President is now intentionally ensuring that this can happen again. What a despicable way to treat those who need help in a time of crisis. They need to rethink this.”

States with federally-managed Affordable Care Act exchanges are dependent on the federal government for changes to the standard open enrollment period. Most states, including Virginia, have federally-managed exchanges. At least one American, a teenage boy in California, has died after reportedly being denied treatment for COVID-19 because he was uninsured.