Welcome back to your third Kitchen Table Action of the month.
Our December focus remains: Defending Healthcare & ACA Subsidies.
While Congress is fighting over the big-ticket items, federal agencies are quietly adding procedural barriers that can push up to 1.8 million people off their insurance through paperwork traps alone.
This week, we’re going straight to the source: the rulemaking process.
And good news — this is something ordinary people can influence more than they think.
☎️ This Week’s Kitchen Table Action: Submit a Public Comment
Your goal:
Submit a short, clear public comment to oppose procedural changes that make ACA enrollment harder.
This includes proposed rules that would:
Shorten the ACA open enrollment window
Eliminate automatic re-enrollment
Remove monthly special enrollment for low-income people
Require advance income verification
Add new administrative burdens that cause coverage loss
These changes don’t remove “ineligible” people, they remove people who can’t keep up with the paperwork.
Impact:
These barriers are projected to push 725,000 to 1.8 million people off their insurance.
And here’s the key:
Federal agencies must review every single comment submitted before finalizing a rule.
Your voice goes into the permanent public record.
📍 Step 1: Find an Open Comment Period
Visit: Regulations.gov
In the search bar, type any of these to find relevant rules:
“ACA enrollment”
“CMS verification”
“Affordable Care Act”
“Marketplace eligibility”
“Open enrollment period”
Choose a rule marked “Open for Comment.”
(If no relevant ACA enrollment rules are open right now, you can bookmark the search and check back weekly. You can also encourage friends to do the same.)
📧 Step 2: Submit Your Public Comment
Use the customizable template below. The goal is clarity, not length. Agencies don’t reward poetry; they need direct input on the likely impacts of their proposed rules.
📝 Customizable Public Comment
Here’s a customizable public comment you can use. Don’t worry about sounding fancy. You’re not lobbying, you’re simply speaking up.
Comment Title: Opposing Procedural Barriers to ACA Enrollment
To Whom It May Concern:
I am submitting a comment to oppose proposed changes that would make Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment more difficult, including changes that shorten the open enrollment period, eliminate automatic re-enrollment, limit special enrollment opportunities, or require additional advance income verification.
These procedural hurdles do not improve program integrity, they cause eligible people to lose coverage. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates that these types of administrative burdens could cause 725,000 to 1.8 million people to lose health insurance, not because they are ineligible, but because the process becomes too hard to navigate.
Policies that increase paperwork barriers undermine the goals of the ACA, destabilize insurance markets, and increase uncompensated care costs for hospitals. I urge CMS to maintain and expand accessible enrollment pathways and avoid adopting rules that reduce coverage through procedural obstacles.
Thank you for considering this comment.
[Your Name]
[City, State]
✨ Make It Your Own (Optional Add-ons)
To strengthen your comment, you can add one or two sentences like:
“I work with older adults, and documentation requirements often cause them to lose benefits despite eligibility.”
“My family relies on Marketplace coverage, and shorter enrollment periods make it harder to navigate the system.”
“Paperwork barriers hit people with disabilities hardest and contradict federal accessibility goals.”
“Administrative burdens are not neutral, they function as de facto coverage cuts.”
Even small personal touches stand out and get noted.
Why This Works
Most people don’t know this, but public commenting is one of the few legally guaranteed ways ordinary citizens can influence federal policy.
Agencies must:
read every comment
categorize them by issue
respond to major themes
justify their decisions in writing
When thousands of comments identify the same harm, rules are often withdrawn or rewritten. It’s one of the most effective under-the-radar tools progressives have.
This is how structural reform starts: with consistent, well-aimed pressure.
Small Moves, Steady Reps, Clear Values
This is what Kitchen Table Activism is all about: showing up in small, strategic ways that cumulatively shape policy.
Next week, we’ll finish the month with Action #4, which is another practical, high-leverage step to defend healthcare access.
See you at the kitchen table!
In Solidarity,
Brandon