Amid the ongoing federal shutdown, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced it will temporarily recall all of its furloughed employees beginning Monday, October 27. The move comes in preparation for the forthcoming open-enrollment periods for both Medicare and the health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
According to CMS, the recall is intended to “best serve the American people amid the Medicare and Marketplace open-enrollment seasons.” Roughly 47% of CMS’s 6,700-person workforce—about 3,000 employees—were furloughed at the start of the month when appropriations lapsed. These staff will now be brought back to support enrollment operations.
Under the current shutdown, CMS lacks new congressional appropriations but plans to finance this temporary recall through fees collected from data-sharing agreements with researchers. The agency says it will reimburse the fund once the government reopens.
Why the timing matters
- The Medicare annual open-enrollment period began October 15 and continues through December 7, giving beneficiaries an opportunity to change between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, or to adjust their coverage.
- The Health Insurance Marketplace (ACA) open enrollment is slated to begin November 1 and ends on January 15.
- Congress has yet to resolve key issues tied to expanded premium subsidies for ACA plans, which are set to expire at year’s end. Stakeholders warn that without government subsidies, these plans will see significant premium hikes next year.
Despite being in shutdown mode, CMS is striving to restore sufficient staffing so that enrollment support functions, enrollment systems, and plan communications can proceed with minimal interruption. Critics caution that even temporary disruptions can ripple into the insurance market, affecting consumer access, plan selection, and cost stability.
