Possible Health Care Changes in 2021
2021年可能發生的醫療改革
Even before taking office on January 20, Biden administration shared plans for a new direction in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden-Harris transition team seven-point plan to combat the coronavirus includes:
在1月20日總統上任之前，拜登政府就計劃了對抗新冠肺炎疫情的新政策。拜登-哈里斯（Biden-Harris）過渡小組對抗冠狀病毒的七點計劃包括：
1. Access to regular, reliable, and free testing
獲得定期，可靠和免費的測試
2. Increases in the supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
2. 增加個人防護設備供給（PPE）
3. Evidence-based guidance of how communities can navigate the pandemic
3. 社區如何應對疫情的循證指導
4. Equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines
4. 公平分配治療和疫苗
5. Increased protections for older and higher-risk individuals
5. 加強對老年人和高危人群的保護
6. New defenses for predicting, preventing, and mitigating pandemic threats
6. 預測，預防和減緩疫情威脅的新防禦措施
7. Mask mandates nationwide
7. 全國範圍內強制配戴口罩
On January 14, the soon-to-be president announced his plans to pursue a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package with Congress. It includes funding investments in supplies for financially strapped medical facilities, increased vaccine production and testing, expedited vaccine distribution (and administration of 100 million vaccines by the 100th day in office), and expanded domestic PPE manufacturing. Now comes the hard part, negotiating with Congress on approval.
1月14日，即將上任的總統宣佈了他向國會提出1.9萬億美元新冠肺炎救助計劃。該計劃包括為財務緊張的醫療設施提供資金，增加疫苗的生產和測試，加快疫苗分發（在上任第100天前提供1億隻疫苗），以及擴大國內個人防護裝備的生產。目前最困難的部分是與國會協商批准該計劃。
Already, several members of the U.S. Senate have said the proposal is dead on arrival in their chamber.
美國參議院的幾位成員已經表示，這項提案一到參議院就會被否決。
On January 28, the White House announced plans to take executive action to reopen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) federally facilitated marketplace (FFM), HealthCare.gov. The goal is to help Americans who have lost health coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ordinarily, enrollment in the public health exchanges is limited to an annual six-week period (slightly longer in some states) that starts in the fourth quarter. President Biden is also advocating reducing barriers for individuals to join Medicaid.
1月28日，白宮宣布計劃通過行政命令重新開放平價醫療法案（ACA）聯邦醫療服務市場（FFM），即HealthCare.gov。其目的是幫助在新冠肺炎疫情期間失去醫療保險的美國人。通常，申請加入公共健康計劃僅限於每年一次，從第四季度開始為期六週（在一些州時間稍長）。拜登總統還主張減少個人加入聯邦醫療補助/白卡的障礙。
Another action health experts anticipate is a change in ACA subsidy eligibility, which would allow more people to qualify for tax credits to reduce their premium cost. Funds for marketing the federal and state exchanges could return as well, after a 90% reduction in the past several years. Funding of ACA navigators who assist with enrollments may return, too.
健康專家預計的另一項計劃是改變ACA的補貼資格，這將允許更多的人有資格獲得稅收抵免，以降低他們的保費費用。在過去幾年用於聯邦和州健康保險市場營銷的資金減少了90%以後，該資金也可能獲得返還。協助申請的ACA指導人員的資金也可能返還。
Under former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, several changes governing public health insurance exchanges were announced in late 2020 and early 2021. While the Biden team may embrace some of these CMS modifications – such as reduced user fees – it may roll back others. That includes state waivers and requests to transition from the FFM to a state access model, which relies more on private web brokers or purchasing coverage directly through insurers.
在前聯邦醫療保險和聯邦醫療補助服務中心（CMS）行政官員Seema Verma的領導下，公共健康保險計劃在2020年末和2021年初宣佈了幾項變化。雖然拜登團隊可能會接受CMS的一些修改，比如降低用戶費用，但也可能會取消其他一些條款。這包括州豁免和從FFM過渡到州使用模式的轉換請求，該模式更多的依賴於私人經紀人或直接通過保險公司購買保險。
With support from Congress, the Individual Mandate penalty could return, although there is no forecast on what amount might be imposed. The mandate was eliminated as part of a GOP tax bill in 2017, which reduced the penalty for not having ACA-compliant health coverage to zero. That helped set up a court challenge to the ACA, which is now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
在國會的支持下，個人強制罰款可能會恢復，但目前還沒有確定罰款金額。在2017年，作為共和黨稅收法案的一部分，這項強制措施已被取消，該法案把不符合ACA規定的醫療保險罰款降為零。這有助於向ACA提出法庭質疑，美國最高法院目前正在審查該法案。
Open enrollment for 2021 health plans in California ended January 31, 2021. But in response to the ongoing COVID pandemic and the Biden administration’s decision to open a special enrollment period on HealthCare.gov, Covered California announced a COVID-related special enrollment period for uninsured residents. It runs from February 1, 2021 to May 15, 2021, and gives the state’s 2.7 million uninsured residents another opportunity to sign up for coverage, even if they don’t experience a qualifying event.
加州2021年健康計劃開放註冊截止日期為2021年1月31日，但為了應對新冠肺炎疫情，並且拜登政府決定HealthCare.gov上開放一個特殊的註冊期，加州全保/加州健保宣布為還未參加保險的居民設立一個關於新冠肺炎的特殊註冊期。註冊日期從2021年2月1日持續到2021年5月15日，這樣即使以前不符合資格的270萬居民，也可以獲得一個申請加入醫療保險的機會。
The state estimates that 1.2 million of those uninsured residents are eligible for premium subsidies through Covered California or Medi-Cal, and Covered California plans to spend $6 million on marketing and outreach to make sure people are aware of the additional opportunity to enroll in health coverage for 2021.
加州估計有120萬沒有醫療保險的居民可以通過加州全保/加州健保，或聯邦醫療補助（白卡）獲得保費補貼，並且加州全保/加州健保計劃在營銷和拓展方面投資600萬美元，以確保加州居民都知道在2021年有額外的機會參加醫療保險。
California residents are required to have health coverage or pay a penalty on their state tax return (unless they qualify for an exemption from the penalty).
加州居民被要求購買醫療保險，否則會在申報州稅的時候繳納罰款（有資格免除罰款的居民除外）。
Covered California has announced a new Special Enrollment Period
加州健保/加州全保已經宣布了一個新的特殊註冊加入期。
Covered California has announced a new Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that will extend the opportunity to enroll in on-exchange Individual plans through December 31, 2021. 加州全保/加州健保宣布了一個新的特殊註冊期（SEP)，將註冊健保個人計畫的時間延長到2021年12月31日。
This longer enrollment period ensures that all eligible Californians are informed of the opportunities to get health coverage. This includes: 這次較長的註冊期可以確保所有符合條件的加州人都能有機會獲得健康保險。這包括：
- New subsidies that will help the uninsured get coverage 新的補貼將幫助沒有保險的人獲得保險 - New savings opportunities to those who currently have coverage without subsidies 為那些有保險而沒有補貼的人提供新的省錢機會 - Increased subsidies to provide financial help to those currently enrolled which will help them continue to stay covered 增加的補貼可以給那些已經註冊的人提供經濟幫助，也有助於他們持續獲得保險的保障
Source 文章來源:https://www.coveredca.com/special-enrollment/
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