Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander helped introduce the Protecting Access to Affordable Coverage Act, legislation to assist Americans in alleviating paperwork burdens and making informed enrollment decisions. This includes extending the 2026 Open Enrollment period, restoring auto-reenrollment and the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) which were repealed in the Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and funding the Navigator Program. Congressman Chris Pappas is the sponsor of this bill.
“Lowering the sky-high cost of healthcare is a matter of life or death for families across New Hampshire,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “Let’s get this done.”
The Protecting Access to Affordable Coverage Act would:
- Extend 2026 Open Enrollment through May 1st, 2026, to provide individuals and families more time to assess Marketplace prices and make an informed decision about health insurance coverage as a result of the chaos and confusion caused by Republican inaction;
- Reinstate auto-reenrollment, which was repealed by the Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act, to reduce the administrative burden for consumers to enroll in ACA coverage;
- Make permanent a Special Enrollment Period for low-income individuals to ensure the ACA plans are available to Americans even when income fluctuates;
- Restore and make mandatory funding of $100 million to the Navigator Program, which helps consumers make informed decisions about their health plans.
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