President Donald Trump’s administration has abruptly halted ads and outreach for Obamacare set to run during the final days of the 2017 open enrollment season, according to a report published Thursday by Politico.
Even ads that President Barack Obama’s administration already placed and paid for have been pulled, Politico reported, citing sources at the Department of Health and Human Services and on Capitol Hill. The White House has also reportedly halted media outreach promoting enrollment, including emails sent to visitors to HealthCare.gov.
The decision to halt outreach and ads came from the White House, according to the report.
Politico noted that the official Twitter account for Healthcare.gov has not offered enrollment information since early Thursday morning.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services told Politico that the decision was made in “an effort to look for efficiencies.”
However, anonymous officials in the Obama administration said that the ads were already purchased, according to a report published by Politico the morning of Trump’s inauguration.
The final days of the open enrollment period are “seen as critical,” according to the report. This is due to a last-minute surge in sign-ups by individuals who procrastinate on enrollment, particularly younger and healthier customers.
Open enrollment for 2017 ends next week on Jan. 31.
