By CAP Action War Room

It’s that time of the year again! Open enrollment starts tomorrow and consumers can once again shop for health care coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Using the call center, in-person assistance, or the improved HealthCare.gov site, consumers are also able to renew or make changes to existing plans. As open enrollment begins, here are a few key facts on how the Affordable Care Act is doing:

• 7.1 million people enrolled in the marketplace: During open enrollment last year, more than 7 million people purchased insurance through the exchange.
• The number of uninsured Americans fell by 25 percent this year: An estimated 10.3 million fewer people are uninsured this year, reducing the amount of Americans without health coverage by 25 percent.
• On average, tax credits reduced the cost of premiums by 76 percent: Last year, the average person who received financial assistance for coverage paid a monthly premium of $82, which is 76 percent less than the average price before credits.
• More insurers are offering plans for 2015: 25 percent more health insurers are expected to offer plans this year, creating competition that drives down prices for consumers.

With an increasing amount of data to prove the Affordable Care Act is working, a few million more people are expected to enroll in the exchange this year. Here are a few important things to know going into open enrollment:

• Open enrollment dates: Open enrollment starts on November 15th and lasts until February 15th. For coverage that starts January 1st, the deadline to enroll is December 15th.
• People with existing plans should shop around: People who already have insurance will need to renew their plans during open enrollment by December 15. But with the addition of more insurers in the marketplace, those with current plans should shop around on HealthCare.gov to make sure their current plan is still the best fit for them. Customers who don’t renew their coverage will likely be automatically enrolled again, but they could miss out on savings.
• Financial assistance is available: An estimated 8.7 million people could qualify for tax credits to help pay for their insurance. Last year, 85 percent of people who enrolled in insurance on the marketplace qualified for federal subsidies.

BOTTOM LINE: The Affordable Care Act is working — it has largely succeeded in bringing affordable, quality healthcare to millions while significantly shrinking the number of uninsured Americans. During open enrollment, consumers can shop for a health coverage plan that works for them, and financial assistance is available. The millions more expected to enroll this year, as well as the millions who have already taken advantage of the law, stand to benefit greatly from this open enrollment period. But it only lasts for three months, and if you want coverage that starts January 1, the deadline is December 15th. So get shopping!

Defend Military Families Against Predatory Loans

One in ten troops take out high-interest loans in order to make ends meet. As an Army veteran and former congressman, I know how important it is to protect servicemembers against predatory lending practices.

That was the idea behind the Military Lending Act of 2007, which, among other important things, set a 36 percent limit on interest and fees for consumer loans to military personnel and their dependents.

But the task of translating that law into practical do’s and don’ts fell to the Defense Department, which settled on a body of rules that left plenty of room for evasion. The result? Abusive lenders went right on targeting military families with loans at 300 percent interest and up.

Stop swindling our soldiers! No more triple-digit interest loans to servicemembers and their families!

Now the DOD is moving to update its rules in order to truly carry out the law’s mandate. This time, its proposals are strong enough to make the 36 percent rate cap stick. But the rulemakers — and the military and consumer advocates who led the fight for this crackdown — are bracing for another campaign of intense resistance by a politically as well as economically powerful industry.

Join us in urging the Defense Department to stand by its proposed rules and stop high-cost lenders from preying on the military.

Our men and women in uniform have plenty on their minds. In service to their country, they willingly go on long deployments, leaving friends and family behind. Lenders should not be allowed to take advantage; loans with triple-digit interest rates and onerous repayment terms shouldn’t hang over their heads.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Patrick Murphy

My mother was thrown in Saudi prison for speaking out for women’s rights. Please join the urgent international effort to free my mother before she can be beaten or killed.

By CAP Action War Room

A First Look At The Fossil-Fuel And Anti-Environment Agenda Of The Next Congress

Much of the post-election conversation has centered on what Republicans will do with control of both chambers of Congress, with much of the attention focusing on immigration reform and the Affordable Care Act. But a new Center for American Progress report takes a first look at how the new Republican Senate will help the fossil-fuel industry while attacking America’s public lands. The GOP has been vocal about its promise to deliver the Keystone XL pipeline and stop the Obama administration’s rules to cut carbon pollution proposed in the Clean Power Plan. But Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)—who called climate change “the greatest hoax ever” and will likely chair the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee—has also promised to “file challenges against every final EPA rule.” In addition to these expected attacks on the EPA’s authority to protect clean air and water, CAP’s report details four broad priorities for Republican leaders in the House and Senate for energy and environmental policy:

1. Fast Track Exports of U.S. Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas to Foreign Markets. Republicans’ top priority will likely be growing the export of American oil, natural gas and coal. They will likely fast track the permit process for liquid natural gas exports, try to remove a ban on crude oil exports, and work to bypass local opposition to planned export terminals along the West Coast that would expand shipments of coal to Asian markets.

2. Halt the Creation of New Parks and Wilderness Areas. With the exception of one bill passed earlier this year, Congress has not protected a single new acre of public land since 2009—creating the longest moratorium on new parks since World War II. The trend of congressmen beholden to oil and gas companies blocking protections for monuments, wilderness and other public lands is likely to continue. Congress will also likely attempt to repeal the president’s authority — which Obama has utilized — to create national monuments by gutting the 1906 Antiquities Act.

3. Roll Back Investments in Renewable Energy. Oil and gas industry giants, along with the Koch brothers will pressure Congress to stall the growth of renewable energy production by discontinuing or overturning existing policies encouraging the use of renewable energy sources. These could include attempts to end or scale back renewable fuel standards for vehicles, tax incentives for wind energy production, and overturning a law that prohibits the federal government from procuring especially dirty fuels.

4. Open the Atlantic Ocean and Environmentally Sensitive Lands to Oil and Gas Drilling. Senate Republicans will to work hard to expand oil and gas drilling on federal land by bypassing environmental laws and public review and comment periods. The House passed a similar bill earlier this year.

Despite the successes of anti-environment Republican candidates, voters across the country overwhelming supported conservation this election. Voters in 19 states committed $13 billion to land conservation by approving 35 ballot measures — a result that underscores the disconnect between the agenda of the new Congress and where Americans actually stand on the environment.

BOTTOM LINE: Republicans have proven that they are beholden to the oil and gas industry, and with control of both chambers they will likely advance policies that will benefit the oil and gas giants, no matter the cost to the environment and future generations. Under the leadership of dirty energy giants, the 114th Congress will likely pass harmful legislation that could set back the clock on what progress has been made in combating the effects of global climate change.