D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser officially kicked off DC Health Link’s open enrollment period this week by encouraging residents to sign up for high-quality, affordable health insurance at DCHealthLink.com, the city’s online state-based marketplace.
DC Health Link, established under the Affordable Care Act, offers open enrollment for individuals and families through Jan. 31, 2019.
“We know that when we get Washingtonians covered and when we get them connected to the right care at the right time, then our residents have better health outcomes,” Bowser said. “As the federal government continues working to make it more difficult for Americans to access the health care they need and deserve, Washington, D.C., remains committed to expanding access.”
Largely due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, D.C. now ranks second in the country for the lowest uninsured rate with 96 percent of residents covered, DC Health Link said. More than 16,000 residents are covered through the DC Health Link individual marketplace and more than 77,000 people are covered through its small-business marketplace.
The organization said the Trump administration has undermined the ACA through the expansion of junk health plans in the form of short-term limited duration plans and association health plans, but that the city is working to prevent those rules from affecting Washingtonians.
“We are committed to helping to protect people with preexisting conditions and continuing to advocate for our customers to have the best health insurance options at the lowest possible rates through DC Health Link,” said Mila Kofman, executive director of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority. “Our goal is to help every single resident get covered and stay covered.”
For more information, go to DCHealthLink.com.