- ACA Enrollment Opens After GOP Fails to Kill Off Obamacare Washington Post by Amy Goldstein, Juliet Eilperin and Colby Itkowitz — From coast to coast, the fifth annual season for Americans to buy insurance under the Affordable Care Act opened on Wednesday with scattered reports of crowds, some technical difficulties, and a public confused as never before by the political turmoil surrounding the law....For his part, President Trump ignored the opening day. His only reference to the health care law was a tweet urging Congress to repeal an ACA centerpiece — the requirement that most American carry health coverage — as part of a federal tax-cut bill. In the absence of a robust federal promotion campaign, Democratic members of Congress, activists, local officials, and several celebrities launched a major push Wednesday at events across the country.
- Health Care Enrollment Counselors Facing Stiff Challenges Associated Press by Kelli Kennedy — It's not easy being an advocate for the Affordable Care Act right now. Health care advocacy groups are making an against-all-odds effort to sign people up despite confusion and hostility fostered by Republicans opposed to President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement. The Trump administration has taken numerous steps to undermine the law, and many states are doing little to promote coverage as health insurance open enrollment begins this week. Health care advocates are particularly concerned about people in Republican-led states with hundreds of thousands of uninsured residents, like Florida, Texas, and Georgia.
- Obamacare Insurance Markets Open This Week Amid Confusion and Uncertainty Los Angeles Times by Noam Levey — Health insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act begin accepting 2018 applications Wednesday amid mounting concern that the Trump administration's repeated attacks on the law will dramatically depress enrollment. The marketplaces — a centerpiece of the law commonly called Obamacare — continue to provide coverage for some 10 million people. And they remain the only option for many low- and moderate-income Americans who don't get health benefits through an employer or a government program such as Medicare or Medicaid. But across the country, the president's persistent criticism of the law and Republican congressional efforts to repeal it have fed widespread confusion among consumers.