It will soon be harder for North Carolina residents to seek help when looking for health insurance. Federal grant money that supports Affordable Care Act navigators has been significantly cut.
ACA navigators are the trained instructors who explain health benefits and guide people through insurance enrollment.
But the Trump Administration is slashing nationwide funding for the navigator program. The president on Tuesday signed an executive order to provide what he calls “Obamacare relief.”
In North Carolina, the navigator budget will be cut by 85 percent, from $3.4 million to $500,000.
The News and Observer reports North Carolina has consistently had some of the country's highest enrollments.
The federal government claims the navigation system is inefficient, and that people can seek help through insurance brokers. In order to win any federal grants next year, navigator organizations will need to steer people away from the ACA to consider other options such as association health plans and short-term temporary insurance.