~ Herring is encouraging Virginians to take advantage of the open enrollment period and check their health care options on Healthcare.gov; Open enrollment period ends on December 15^th ~

RICHMOND (December 11, 2020) – Attorney General Mark R. Herring is urging Virginians to take advantage of the open enrollment period that ends on December 15^th and explore their health care coverage options on Healthcare.gov. Especially during this unprecedented national health crisis, and in advance of the potential approval of a couple different COVID-19 vaccines, it’s more important than ever for Virginians to make sure they are covered.

“The country is still in the middle of an unprecedented health crisis, and, unfortunately, we continue to see surges across the nation with the number of COVID cases at their highest levels since the start of the pandemic,” said Attorney General Herring. “I want to encourage Virginians to take advantage of the last few days of this open enrollment period to check out your coverage options on Healthcare.gov, especially if you have experienced COVID-related job-loss and have subsequently lost your employer-sponsored health care. These past several months have shown us just how important health care coverage really is in making sure that Virginians, their families and communities stay safe and healthy.”

Additionally, many Virginians have lost or could lose their employer-sponsored health care coverage because of job-loss due to COVID-19, and these individuals should check Healthcare.gov and see what their coverage options are. Hundreds of thousands of Virginians have filed for unemployment benefits with the Virginia Employment Commission since the start of the pandemic. Some Virginians may even be eligible for all or part of their out of pocket costs to be covered as well.

Over the summer, Attorney General Herring urged any Virginians who had lost or could lose their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic to evaluate their insurance options to make sure they remain covered during the ongoing public health crisis. He highlighted that a new study estimated that at least 5.4 million American workers who had lost their jobs between February and May were uninsured, and in Virginia alone, it was estimated that 14% of all adults were currently without health insurance.

In April, Attorney General Herring sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services urging them to reconsider their shortsighted decision to deny a special enrollment period on Healthcare.gov during the current worldwide pandemic. In the letter, Attorney General Herring and his colleagues argue that the federal government should take action to make it possible for Americans across the country who are facing uncertainty as a result of COVID-19 to obtain the healthcare coverage that they need during this critical times.

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