ACA deadline causing confusion
Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act health care is well underway and with deadlines near, some applicants are finding confusion on the deadlines.
The first Obamacare deadline for enrollees is Friday, to ensure their coverage starts on Jan. 1 and throughout 2018.
However, Covered California runs its own exchange and gives enrollees two more deadlines.
Enrollees will have until Jan. 15 to ensure their coverage starts on Feb. 1 and will have a final deadline on Jan. 31 to ensure their coverage starts on March 1 through the rest of the year.
Enrollment after Jan. 31 will be based solely on special events, such as marriage or birth of children, said Octavio Cortez of Belellano Insurance Services in El Centro and Calexico, two of a handful of enrollment sites in the county.
“We strongly encourage all families in our communities who do not currently have insurance to apply for the subsidized health plans offered through Covered California,” said Devin Anderson, the program manager for CalFresh/Medi-Cal at the Imperial County Department of Social Services.
Covered California enrollment
According to Covered California information on its website, 2016 had a total enrollment of 1,440,360, while 2017 had an enrollment of 1,412,862.
CC also stated more than 102,000 new consumers selected a plan during the first month of open enrollment in November, a 28 percent increase over the same time period last year.
Enrollees receiving subsidies who signed up in November will pay 10 percent less per month in 2018 than 2017.
So far, 1.2 million enrollees have renewed for 2018, similar to last year’s totals.
“Consumers are continuing to check out their options and take advantage of the lower prices for many enrolling and renewing in coverage,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California, on its website. “We know that Californians sign-up when they realize how low their costs are. We’re seeing many Californians shop and enroll because the financial help is bringing coverage within reach for many.”
In addition, a new analysis finds that the net monthly premiums for the 85 percent of Covered California enrollees who get financial help – the price they will pay after a plan’s premium is discounted by the federal subsidy – is an average of 10 percent less than what new and renewing consumers paid last year.
The data showed that the average net price for plans selected by new and renewing consumers this year is $120 per month, down from $134 per month at this point last year. And, for those who selected a bronze plan, the average cost for 2018 was only $45 per month, compared to $87 in 2017.
National statistics
According to healthcare. gov, last week more than 823,000 people signed up for Obamacare raising the open enrollment’s total to 3.6 million.
Last year, more than 13 million people signed up for Obamacare, but the open enrollment ended on Jan. 31, stated the Washington Examiner.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration decided to shorten the enrollment period by six weeks.
For more information contact Belellano Insurance services at 760-3703090 or go to www.coveredca.com
Go to www.ivpressonline.com for a list of enrollment sites in the Imperial County.