The Biden administration wants major gig worker employers such as DoorDash, Lyft, Postmates, Uber and StyleSeat to promote Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans to their employees.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the effort Wednesday to raise awareness of reduced subsidies that could help gig workers sign up for insurance on HealthCare.gov.
“Workers in the U.S., including those working with gig companies following COVID-19 related unemployment, may now be eligible for reduced premiums and increased savings for health insurance coverage,” CMS said in a release.
The new push comes as CMS is continuing to boost outreach efforts during an extended open enrollment period for ACA coverage that runs through Aug. 15.
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The online platforms, such as Uber and DoorDash, agreed to provide workforces with information on how to get affordable coverage as part of a Gig Workers’ Week of Action.
“Activities include informing drivers and couriers about the Week of Action to help create awareness about availability of coverage through the Marketplace, hosting a blog, sharing stories of how drivers benefited from Marketplace coverage and providing communications in English and Spanish to reach a broader audience,” CMS said.
The American Rescue Plan Act temporarily boosts the tax credits consumers can get to lower premiums.
“For new consumers selecting plans during the [special enrollment period], the average monthly premium after tax credits fell over 25% from $117 for those enrolling in February and March to $86 for those enrolling in the month of April,” CMS said.