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Fearing Sabotage, Groups Prepare Obamacare Blitz The Hill by Rachel Roubein and Jessie Hellmann — State and local groups that help support Obamacare are springing into action ahead of an enrollment period they fear could be sabotaged by the Trump administration. Their marketing efforts are expanding, their advertisements are starting earlier, and those that fought repeal are shifting their focus to spreading the word about open enrollment, which begins Nov. 1. But President Trump is openly hostile to the law, and few expect that the latest sign-up period will receive heavy promotion from his administration. That's leaving local groups, called navigators, to fill the gaps. The Trump administration has made no formal announcement about the grants, and CMS would not comment on whether they would continue. But more than a half dozen groups contacted by The Hill said all signs point to receiving the last round of funding in September.
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Medicaid Directors See Boon in Newfound Public Awareness Bloomberg News by Victoria Pelham — Medicaid directors are seeing a newfound public awareness and appreciation of the safety-net health insurance program in the wake of failed Obamacare repeal-and-replace efforts. That's critical for Medicaid's future, Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, told Bloomberg BNA Aug. 18. Now the real work will move back to the states, which can push bids to bolster the program to be more value-driven, holistic, and better coordinated for the most needy beneficiaries, he said. Hannah Katch, senior policy analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, called the response to possible Medicaid overhauls "unlike anything" she has ever seen. "It really goes to show how well Medicaid works and when there was a real threat to the future of Medicaid, we saw people stand up and talk about how important it was for them and their families," she told Bloomberg BNA.