2019 ACA (Affordable Care Act) hoax

A Facebook hoax claims that the 2019 ACA (Affordable Care Act) enrollment period has been shortened from 90 days to 45 days (November 1-December 15, 2018) and the advertising budget to promote open enrollment has been slashed in an effort to sabotage the program.

Details

A copy and paste Facebook hoax has been spreading around the social media site by users who copy and paste the content in a post. The post claims that the 2019 ACA (Affordable Care Act) enrollment period has been shortened from 90 days to 45 days (November 1-December 15, 2018) and the advertising budget to promote open enrollment has been slashed in an effort to sabotage the program. However, this is old news as explained below.

The post also says that you are probably not seeing a lot of advertising about the enrollment window online or on TV and that they are posting this and using the word “congratulations” so it gets posted more frequently in News Feed by FB algorithms. The posts insist that you copy and paste the content of the post and post it publicly yourself on your own timeline to help spread the word. The post also says to “comment on the posts you see to bump them up in feeds” because “someone you know may desperately need health care.”

This hoax can easily be debunked because the enrollment period has been widely known and is even posted on healthcare.gov. Furthermore, if you miss the enrollment period there are still options for you to obtain healthcare. This hoax has also been circulating since 2017. There are a few differences between the previous version and this new one. There might also be others like it floating around the social network.

Additionally, this is a hoax because information provided about using keywords to boost post visibility is a little complex and incorrect.  Although it is correct that the algorithm uses keywords to elevate the importance of a post, the importance is measured by keywords appearing in comments to a post and not in the post itself. This topic can be complex and you can read more about it here: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/will-including-certain-words-your-posts-lead-higher-reach-facebook

It is also correct that the enrollment period was previously shortened but it was not necessarily to sabotage the program or because they cut the budget. It was done to “promote stability in the individual insurance market” and “reduce opportunities for adverse selection.”

Here’s what the post says:

Congratulations! The 2019 ACA (Affordable Care Act) enrollment period has been shortened from 90 days to 45 days (November 1-December 15, 2018) and the advertising budget to promote open enrollment has been slashed in an effort to sabotage the program. You’re probably not seeing a lot of advertising (read: zero) about the enrollment window online or on TV. We are posting this and using the word congratulations so it gets posted more frequently in News Feed by FB algorithms. Please *’copy and paste* (don’t share, and post publicly!) on your own timeline to help spread the word. Also, comment on the posts you see to bump them up in feeds. Someone you know may desperately need health care.

And here’s the 2017 version says:

Congratulations, guys!
You can still get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act! The 2018 ACA enrollment period has been shortened to Nov 1 – Dec 15, 2017.
You’re probably not seeing a lot of promotion for it on TV or online. They cut the ad budget and other support for the law. Fortunately, your friends (like me) are posting this and using the word congratulations so it gets posted more frequently in Newsfeed by FB algorithms. (Also xoxo and rad!)
Please copy and paste (don’t share) on your own timeline if you want to help spread the word!

The purpose of this hoax is to simply trick people into spreading incorrect information and to make people them misinformed about the subject. Make sure to delete your post if you published a post such one the ones listed above. If you noticed a friend has published a similar post make sure to inform them that it is not true. You can use this page as a reference. Please be advised that sharing false information does not do anyone any good.