Biden to reopen health insurance marketplace for special enrollment period

President Biden will be reopening the Affordable Care Act's online health insurance marketplace for a special enrollment period of three months, the White House has announced.

The White House on Thursday said Biden will sign an executive order allowing Americans to sign up for health insurance via HealthCare.gov from Feb. 15 through May. 15, Reuters reports.

"This special enrollment period will give Americans that need health care coverage during this global pandemic the opportunity to sign up," the White House said.

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Open enrollment on the health insurance exchange for those who aren't insured through their employer would previously only be for six weeks, and the most recent period ended in December, CNN reports. Exceptions are made for those with major life changes, The Washington Post notes.

According to The New York Times, this special enrollment period announced by the White House is "intended to help people who have lost coverage in the past year, but it will be open to those who want health insurance for any reason."

The White House additionally said Biden will be directing "federal agencies to reconsider rules and other policies that limit Americans' access to health care," as well as issuing a memorandum "to protect and expand access to comprehensive reproductive health care" and rescinding the "Mexico City policy" that "bars international non-profits that provide abortion counseling or referrals from receiving U.S. funding."