INSURANCE

Q: I was planning to sign up for an Affordable Health Care plan, but I missed the deadline. What are my options? A:

You are in luck. Ordinarily, once the Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment Period ends in December, you would not be able to sign up for a Health Insurance Marketplace® plan unless you experienced a life event that qualified you for a Special Enrollment Period. This year is different.

On January 28, 2021, President Biden ordered the temporary reopening of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) window. It is one of a series of steps that experts say could provide better and more affordable access to health plans for millions of uninsured Americans. In response, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a 3-month special enrollment period beginning February 15 when the Market Place will accept new applications for ACA plans.

According to estimates by the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 2 to 3 million workers lost employee-based health plans between March and September 2020. Even before the pandemic, roughly 30 million Americans were without coverage.

ACA coverage offers a reliable lifeline to these people, providing affordable comprehensive health insurance coverage that includes COVID-19 testing, vaccines, treatment and much more. Unfortunately, many who could best use this type of insurance were not familiar with the enrollment process and missed the deadline in December to sign up for a plan.

Coverage through the ACA will begin on the first day of the month after enrolling in a plan. People who already have an ACA plan may also benefit from this open enrollment period. They can review and revise their current application to claim and receive an updated eligibility determination.

Many enrollees in the ACA marketplace qualify to receive subsidies in the form of tax credits which helps keep the cost of insurance affordable. To learn if you qualify or to enroll in an Affordable Care Plan, please contact me at 440-255-5700 or email me at Lmutsko@mutskoinsurance.com