As of June 20, the administration had not yet provided any information to about future funding to the groups that have been serving as ACA “navigators.” See Key ObamaCare groups in limbo as they await funding (The Hill, 6/20/28). Navigators assist consumers in enrolling in health plans in the ACA marketplaces. Current navigator grants expire on September 12. If new funding is not provided soon, it will be difficult for navigators to prepare for the 2019 open-enrollment period, which runs from November 1 through December 15, 2018. Last year, funding for navigators was cut by about 40 percent, and the administration’s FY 2019 budget proposal suggested a 75 percent cut. As noted above, the House version of the FY 2019 HHS appropriations bill would not provide any funding for the navigator program. Under rules issued in April, states will no longer be required to have at least two navigator grantees, a navigator that is a community-based, consumer-focused nonprofit organization, or a navigator that has a physical presence in the state.
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