On April 28, the American Academy of Family Physicians and other physician organizations sent a letter to congressional leaders arguing that more must be done to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter urged immediate action to support employers and workers by protecting and expanding high quality, affordable health care coverage. Specifically, the letter called for increased efforts to support unemployment insurance and Medicaid.
The letter urges Congress to:
- Provide employers with temporary subsidies to preserve health benefits,
- Cover the cost of coverage through COBRA,
- Expand the use of Health Savings Accounts,
- Open a special enrollment period for health insurance marketplaces, and
- Increase eligibility for federal subsidies for the health insurance marketplaces.