The next Affordable Care Act enrollment period commences one week before Election Day in November, and will reveal the health of the program following major payer complaints and exits, according to The Hill. The enrollment period ends one week before the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20.
Here are five things to know:
1. The Obama administration has faced difficulty in enrolling younger, healthy people in ACA plans, which is crucial to offset the costs of sicker enrollees.
2. To curb losses, payers are increasing their rates, with a 2017 average premium increase of 9 percent, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
3. Republican nominee Donald Trump said he will unravel the ACA, but Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton will have to deal with any fallouts from the next enrollment period.
4. Ms. Clinton proposed a tax credit of up to $5,000 per family to help with out-of-pocket costs, and wants to increase ACA subsidies so customers aren't spending upwards of 8.5 percent of their income on premiums.
5. Still, experts note the ACA is falling short of the Congressional Budget Office's original expectations. By 2016, they predicted more than 21 million customers would be enrolled in ACA plans, but in reality about 11 million people are enrolled.