Some furloughed workers will return to manage health insurance open enrollment as shutdown drags on

By ALI SWENSON

NEW YORK (AP) — The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services will temporarily bring all its furloughed employees back to work starting Monday to manage health insurance open enrollment, according to an agency spokesperson.

The recall to duty amid the more than three-week-long government shutdown is what’s needed to “best serve the American people amid the Medicare and Marketplace open enrollment seasons,” the spokesperson said Thursday.

It will be paid for by user fees gathered from sharing data with researchers, the agency said.

The decision to call the employees back shows how significantly shutting down the government and losing staffing has impacted federal government operations during a crucial season, as millions of Americans are selecting their health insuran