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Nothing has changed even though a Texas federal judge said Friday that the blanket mandate of the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional and had invalidated the law as a whole.
"The law is still in force," said Tim Jost, professor emeritus, Washington University Law School and Lee. But, he added about the decision, "everyone will be confused about what it means ".
The judge's decision is only the last challenge that Obamacare faces in this season of registration that ends Saturday.
Although Americans rushed to register before the deadline, the last-minute hike may not be enough to overcome a noticeable decline in interest. This decline occurs when the Trump administration reduced advertising and promoted other coverage options.
Open registration closes at 11:59 pm Saturday in most of the country, including the 39 states that use the federal exchange, healthcare.gov. Some states that manage their own exchanges, such as New York, California and Minnesota, have deadlines to meet until January 31st.
Some 4.1 million people have already selected plans for 2019. However, the average number of registrants According to the most recent figures released by the federal government, the number of holidays is down more than 9 % compared to the same period of the previous year (December 8)
. The decline is particularly marked among those who register for the first time. Their number is down by almost 18%, while loyal customers have dropped by less than 6%.
According to estimates by Get America Covered, an advocacy group founded by the former Obama Administration officials.
Interest resumed this week, which is happening usually at the end of open registrations. Monday's healthcare.gov traffic was the highest to date for this period, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which manages the federal stock market.
In Florida, residents "bomb" the few remaining navigators who help with registration, said Jodi Ray, director of Florida Covering Kids & Families at the University of South Florida, the only organization to receive a federal browser grant in the country. Sunshine State this year.
The browsers are almost full until Saturday. This is partly because they have far fewer resources this year. Ray's budget was reduced from $ 5.8 million in 2016 to $ 1.25 million this year. There are only 59 mariners working in half of Florida counties, instead of the usual workforce of more than 150 people covering the entire state. Residents of other counties can only get help by phone or online.
"We are doing our best not to refuse people," Ray said, adding that many consumers needed advice on choosing a plan. "When they can sit down and look at different shots and ask questions, it increases their level of confidence to make a real choice."
Lack of assistance is one of the reasons why experts believe that Registrations are late, despite the fact that many consumers are seeing lower premiums and more choice of insurers for next year.
Former President Barack Obama and celebrities, including Stephen Colbert, took over the torch of social media marketing.
In Florida, which uses the federal exchange, many people will probably miss the deadline, Ray said. The federal government used to broadcast television commercials during open registration prior to the inauguration of President Donald Trump. And Ray also had sufficient funds for television and radio spots. They are all gone now, she says. Registrations are down about 22,500, or 2.2%.
"The reduction in advertising is making a huge difference," said Cheryl Fish-Parcham, director of marketing initiatives. Families access. United States, health care advocacy group.
Health and Social Services Secretary Alex Azar told Axios on Wednesday that "we do not know" why open enrollment is lagging behind this year, but said that he is important to wait Registrations will be counted next week.
"It's going to be very important to close the books on open registration and see where that is," Azar told the Axios event. [19659030] Celebrities intervene after Trump cut the advertising budget of Obamacare "class =" media_image "src =" http://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/181206170212-stephen-colbert- 1127-large-169.jpg "/>
