House Dems press Trump to fund ObamaCare outreach groups

A group of Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Trump administration to pay millions of dollars to outside groups that help people sign up for ObamaCare.

The letter from 31 House Democrats, led by Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (N.H.), pressed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to release funding for navigator groups, which also help with ObamaCare education and outreach.

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Late last month, the Trump administration announced it was slashing the grant money for navigators by nearly 41 percent, or $23 million.

The groups were blindsided by the announcement.

Their grants have already run out, and they expected to receive fairly level funding for this year at the beginning of September. The uncertainty over how much money they would receive led some groups to downsize their staff last week.

Navigators are expected to learn this week how much money they’ll receive.

Democrats have accused the Trump administration of deliberately trying to sabotage the law ahead of open enrollment that begins Nov. 1.

The House members called the navigators an “essential resource.”

“Destabilizing the Navigator program could further compound the challenges consumers will face in understanding when and how to enroll,” the letter said. “[D]iscouraging enrollment could weaken the market and drive up premiums.”