Dozens of House Democrats are pushing for a change to federal law so pregnant women can immediately sign up for health insurance under Obamacare, or through their government or corporate employer.
Under current law, events like the birth or adoption of a child, marriage and divorce trigger a special enrollment period that lets people make adjustments to their health plans. But Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., says those periods are not triggered when a woman becomes pregnant, and says that needs to change.
“[P]regnancy, one of the most life altering events a woman may experience, isn’t included on that list,” she said.
“Ensuring every American has access to affordable, quality healthcare should be a national priority,” she said. “Unless we support expecting mothers, we’re not meeting our responsibilities for mothers or for the babies they will deliver.”
The bill was written after the Obama administration said in 2013 that it doesn’t have the authority under Obamacare to create a special enrollment period for pregnant women. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell told Democrats then that federal law would have to be changed to create this period.
Under Watson Coleman’s bill, pregnant women would be free to sign up for Obamacare for 60 days after first reporting that they’re pregnant. They could also enroll under the Federal Employee Health Benefits program if they’re a federal worker, or under their employer’s plan.
The Obama administration has created two major enrollment extensions under Obamacare before, both of which aimed to boost enrollment numbers. In 2014, after a rollout plagued with website glitches, the administration extended the enrollment period past the normal deadline.
And earlier this year, a new enrollment period was created to help people avoid paying a fine for failing to have health insurance.
As of March, the government was reporting 11.7 million people signed up under Obamacare.
