On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at immediately lessening the economic burden of the ACA as Republican lawmakers work on a repeal and replacement plan. Now, with only eight days left in the open enrollment period for 2017, tens of thousands of consumers are contacting ACA call centers across the U.S., asking whether they can still enroll in insurance coverage, or if their coverage will continue under President Trump, reports Politico.
The questions come as consumers, insurers and brokers were surprised and confused by President Trump's order, according to the report. The order authorizes states and agencies to make changes to provisions of the ACA "to the maximum extent permitted by the law."
"In a normal year, you would see really strong demand Monday and Tuesday," Michael Stahl, senior vice president for HealthMarkets, an insurer that operates in all 50 states, told Politico. "But we've got a new administration that has thrown a curveball in all this."
"I think we'll have a bump; I just think the magnitude might be less," he said. "From what I see from our customers … there is a general nervousness. Despite my advice to play by the rules as they are today, sometimes … people kind of freeze and do nothing."
The deadline to sign up for 2017 plans is Jan. 31. In the meantime, advocates for the ACA seek to boost enrollment, according to the report.