Reviving Access: New Act Seeks to Restore Vital Health Navigators Funding

Baldwin, WI, USA - U.S. Representatives Kathy Castor (FL-14) and Dwight Evans (PA-03), alongside Senators Tammy Baldwin (WI) and Jeanne Shaheen (NH), are taking decisive action with the introduction of the ENROLL Act. This legislation is poised to restore funding for the Navigator program under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which has faced devastating cuts in recent years. Specifically, Castor and her colleagues aim to reinstate the program’s funding back to $100 million annually, a necessary boost considering that in February 2025, the Trump Administration slashed Navigator funding by a staggering 90%. This reduction shrank the budget from $100 million to a meager $10 million for the upcoming plan year, marking the largest cut since the program’s inception, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Navigator program has been instrumental in helping Americans, particularly those from underserved communities, access affordable health care plans through the ACA marketplace. In Florida alone, over 4.7 million residents selected an affordable marketplace plan for 2025, representing nearly one-fifth of the nation’s enrollees. Despite these impressive numbers, previous funding cuts during the Trump Administration resulted in 2.5 million fewer individuals accessing health coverage via the ACA Marketplace, underscoring the critical need for reinstating comprehensive assistance through Navigators.

Restoring Essential Services

The ENROLL Act not only seeks to restore funding but also clarifies the Navigator’s responsibilities, ensuring they assist consumers in enrolling in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as well. Various health organizations, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Heart Association, have expressed support for this crucial legislation. They understand the significant role Navigators play in educating the public about their health insurance options, which extends beyond mere enrollment in ACA plans.

As the funding cuts have been particularly harsh on consumers, let’s take a moment to recognize what Navigators truly do. Beyond helping with ACA enrollment, Navigators provide education on Medicaid eligibility, assist with document assembly for income verification, and even tackle post-enrollment questions about claims and billing issues. Without adequate funding, their ability to perform these broader functions is jeopardized.

A National Context

Looking at the national landscape, the Biden-Harris Administration recently awarded $100 million to assist organizations that help underserved communities with health care enrollment, part of a larger $500 million commitment over five years for the Navigator program. Notably, 44 grantees received funds aimed at connecting individuals and small businesses to affordable health coverage just as the Marketplace Open Enrollment period kicks off on November 1, 2024.

During the previous Marketplace Open Enrollment, an impressive 21.4 million people selected health care plans, enjoying some of the lowest premium rates in recent history thanks to expanded subsidies from the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. HHS has prioritized reaching out to underserved groups, including racial and ethnic minorities, rural communities, and the LGBTQIA+ community, ensuring that they have local, trusted partners to navigate this complex landscape.

Challenges Ahead

The impending cuts to Navigator funding coincide with the expiration of enhanced Marketplace subsidies and potential Medicaid funding reductions, raising concern over significant coverage losses among vulnerable populations. The Navigator program, though it has been criticized for high costs per individual enrolled, remains a vital lifeline for 292,000 individuals who were helped to enroll in Medicaid and countless others benefiting from post-enrollment services.

As Floridians and Americans across the nation grapple with these changes, the ENROLL Act emerges not just as a legislative measure but as a beacon of hope to maintain access to essential health care services. The importance of informed decision-making cannot be overstated, and as the landscape of health care continues to shift, ensuring support for free or low-cost assistance is more crucial than ever. To learn more about this initiative and how it impacts you, feel free to check out the detailed reports from Castor’s official site, Kaiser Family Foundation, and CMS.gov.