Illinois cutting Obamacare navigators

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Get Covered Illinois, amid a sharp reduction in federal funding, has only enough money this year to pay for about 150 counselors who help consumers buy health insurance through the federal Affordable Care Act.

That's down from about 400 enrollment specialists the organization funded last year, according to the Illinois Department of Insurance.

Get Covered Illinois said Friday that it will dole out about $5 million in federal grants to 10 community groups to hire the counselors, known in federal language as navigators. A year ago the organization spent about $25.8 million on the navigator program.

The cutback in the enrollment specialists concerns health care advocates because consumers have struggled to pick a health plan among a dizzying array of choices with many subtle differences. Navigators also help people find out whether they qualify for tax subsidies to help lower the cost of coverage.

An Obama regime update on who has benefited from ripping off taxpayers.