Stimulus bill makes health care plans free for some

The COVID-19 relief bill did more than deliver $1,400 stimulus checks to Americans; it also will give nearly 7 million Americans free health coverage through the federal health insurance exchange.

Congress authorized billions of dollars in financial assistance for health care consumers under the American Rescue Plan when it was signed into law last month.

This means more than half a million Texans without health insurance will now qualify for free plans on the marketplace. Nationally, four out of five adults will be able to find a good plan for $10 or less per month.

These changes went live last week on healthcare.gov.

A special enrollment period that was set to run from Feb. 15 to May 15 has been extended to Aug. 15, allowing the public more time to visit the website for a cheaper plan or to check for additional savings on their current plan.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Thursday that President Joe Biden is delivering on his promise to immediately bring down health care costs.

For two years, these provisions will extend subsidy eligibility for individuals who earn between $51,040 to $76,560 a year or for families of four with a household income of between $104,800 and $157,200 a year.

The passage of the American Rescue Plan increases the number of individuals eligible for subsidies by 20 percent, from 18.1 million to 21.8 million, according to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Those who already qualified for a federal subsidy to offset the cost of monthly premiums will be able to save even more money. Federal officials say premiums will be cut by an average of $50 to $85 per person per month.

People should not wait until the last minute to review their respective plans, said Ana Maria Garza Cortez, vice president and chief development of

ficer at CentroMed, which runs EnrollSA, a local coalition that helps residents apply for health coverage on the federal marketplace.

“You need to go back in and update your application,” she said, urging residents to visit enrollsa.com to schedule a virtual appointment or call 210-9777997 for assistance.

Cortez said there’s been an increase in San Antonio residents seeking appointments, which are free, with the coalition’s certified application counselors, especially among those who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new rules say that people who received unemployment payments at least once in 2021 will be eligible for zero-premium, platinum-like coverage. Alternatively, the government will pick up the tab for a temporary COBRA health plan offered by a former employer.

While premium tax credits will be available when federal income taxes are filed, experts say consumers should update their plans now so they can reap the benefits of lower out-ofpocket medical expenses.

Getting the word out could be difficult.

EnrollSA received an additional $100,000 donation from Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, which allowed them to hire temporary call center staff and start to market the changes to their clients. But not all local organizations have the benefit of that kind of funding.

And then there are the thousands of people who signed up on their own and don’t know about the potential savings or the extended enrollment period.

HHS officials said the federal agency will spend an additional $50 million in advertising nationally to promote the special enrollment period — a stark reversal from the previous administration that spent the past four years cutting such funds, including patient navigator programs embedded in communities throughout the country.

Laura Packard, executive director of national advocacy group Get America Covered, said consumers will probably soon see commercials online and on TV for the marketplace’s extended enrollment period.

She warns there will still be many people in Texas with very low income who won’t qualify for the subsidies that make the marketplace’s plans affordable. “They’re left out in the cold,” she said. Most states cover this population through an expanded Medicaid program under the ACA, but Texas has yet to accept this “big pot of money” that would cover the cost and then some.