The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the United States confirmed on Thursday (October 23) that the agency will temporarily recall all furloughed employees starting next week.
The open enrollment period for traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans started on October 15, while the federal Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace will open on November 1.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shutdown contingency plan, since the government shutdown on October 1, 47% of CMS employees have been furloughed.
A spokesperson stated, “CMS will temporarily recall all furloughed employees on Monday, October 27, to ensure the best service during the Medicare and Marketplace open enrollment period.”
The spokesperson also mentioned, “CMS will comply with relevant regulations related to the government shutdown.”
Core programs like Medicare and Medicaid remain unaffected by the shutdown as their funding is legally protected.
CMS mentioned that they will temporarily redirect some researchers’ user fees paid to access Medicare and Medicaid data to cover employee salaries, with plans to reimburse it once regular appropriations are restored by Congress.
The 2026 Medicare open enrollment period began on October 15 and will continue until December 7. During this time, enrolled users can make changes to their coverage, with the updated plans taking effect on January 1 next year.
It is expected that major Medicare companies will, for the second consecutive year, discontinue some insurance plans, reduce popular plans, and increase out-of-pocket costs for policyholders, leading many to face challenging choices.
(reference: report by “The Hill”)