Obamacare Eligibility Match Program to Be Re-Established

Verification of eligibility to enroll in Obamacare plans and get subsidies will be re-established, the Department of Health and Human Services said Friday.

A “matching program” between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Social Security Administration will be re-established for an initial term of 18 months from Sept. 9 to March 8, 2025, and may be renewed for an additional year if no changes are made, the notice said. Comments may be submitted. The notice will be published in the July 17 Federal Register.

The Trump administration moved to restrict automatic re-enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans in 2020 to maintain program integrity. That drew criticism from Democrats and ACA supporters, who said it would decrease enrollment.

The notice under the Privacy Act of 1974 said the program will “Verify match findings before suspending, terminating, reducing, or making a final denial of an individual’s benefits or payments or taking other adverse action against the individual.”

The ACA provides subsidies for moderate and low-income people. The subsidies have been expanded temporarily under the Inflation Reduction Act, covering families of four who earn up to $111,000 a year.