WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Friday authored an op-ed in the Connecticut Mirror marking the start of open enrollment season, which runs November 1, 2019-December 15, 2019.

Murphy wrote: “Starting today, health insurance open enrollment begins in Connecticut. That means people across our state and around our country can choose a health care plan that works for them and their families. This includes signing up through Access Health CT—our state-run online insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).”

“This six-week period allows anyone without employer sponsored coverage or not enrolled in Medicare to sign up for a health insurance plan or make changes to their current coverage. If you’re already on a plan and don’t sign up during this period, don’t worry - you’ll be renewed on your existing plan. But it doesn’t hurt to shop around,” Murphy continued.

Murphy tells Connecticut patients to note that those with pre-existing conditions cannot be charged more with the plans they select, that it’s always a good idea to shop around, and that many individuals and families will qualify for a tax credit that can dramatically bring down the monthly cost of health insurance premiums.  

On Thursday, Murphy joined a press conference to promote the start of open enrollment and called for passage of the Expand Navigators’ Resources for Outreach, Learning, and Longevity (ENROLL) Act to restore funding for the Navigator program that helps American families get the information and support they need to find a quality health care plan.

More excerpts from the op-ed are below and can be viewed here.

“The savings Connecticut residents are getting from the ACA are a game changer. And so it’s hard to understand why President Trump and Republicans in Congress keep trying to eliminate the law or gut protections for American health consumers. I don’t know why Republicans still deny the success of the ACA - when the law went into effect, the uninsured rate dropped to nearly 10 percent (down from 18 percent before the ACA). In Connecticut, 300,000 people get their insurance through the ACA. That’s a huge number, and if Republicans are successful in getting rid of the law our state’s health care system will go into meltdown,” Murphy wrote.

Murphy concluded: “The ACA didn’t solve all the problems in our health care system, and we should be constantly working to improve health care by making insurance more affordable for all Americans across this country and attacking the high costs of health care services. I’m going to continue to fight to ensure we preserve the protections in the ACA and expand quality, affordable coverage for more Americans.”

Read the full op-ed here.

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