Ohio ACA navigators to see 71% federal funding cut

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks, which funds local navigator organizations that help the poor sign up for subsidized health insurance under the Affordable Care Act was informed by federal Health and Human Services officials Thursday that its funding would be cut by 71 percent, to $485,967, for the coming year (Source: “‘Navigators’ for Ohio’s uninsured shocked by 71% cut in funding,” Columbus Dispatch, Sept. 15, 2017).

Federal regulators had invited the food banks to apply for a $1.7 million grant. Now, they’ve been given two weeks to come up with a revised budget and plan for about a quarter of their annual spending.

Some states reportedly had funding cut by 85 percent.

In Ohio and across the nation, navigator groups provide a variety of services during the six-week enrollment period, including providing outreach to people about how to obtain health coverage, helping them decide which insurance plans offered through the federal and state marketplaces best meet their needs, and getting them signed up.