Manatt Health Partner Cindy Mann co-authored an op-ed for STAT, together with former CMS Administrators Andy Slavitt and Don Berwick, proposing that Americans should have the opportunity to register to vote when submitting an application for health insurance on HealthCare.gov.
In the op-ed, the authors note that the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has endorsed this process in the past, and urge the agency to make the necessary technical upgrades in time for the next open enrollment period, later this year. This move would result in an estimated 1.2 million people submitting or updating their voter registration each year.
The authors underscore why this move would be appropriate and beneficial, noting the government’s duty to facilitate civic engagement; the relationship between increased accessibility and participation; and how voting is an “important upstream influence on health and well-being.”
Read the full STAT opinion piece here.