Deadline to apply for ‘Obamacare’ is today. Here’s how to get covered
Have you enrolled for the 2021 Affordable Care Act — best known as Obamacare — yet? Do you want to?
Know this: The deadline to join that healthcare market in 2021 is today. The biggest mistake people make is missing the deadline, said Charlene Zein, senior vice president of Ambetter from Sunshine Health. Ambetter is headquartered in South Florida and is one of many insurance companies selling ACA plans in the marketplace. So are Florida Blue, Medica and others.
HOW FLORIDA RANKS IN NUMBER OF ACA ENROLLED
Florida was the top state in 2020 for the number of people enrolled in Obamacare, according to Kaiser Health News and a Tampa Bay Times report. The Sunshine State had 1.9 million enrolled. California (1.5 million) and Texas (1.1 million) rounded out the Top 3.
South Florida counties, including Miami-Dade and Broward, led the state, accounting for 37% of those enrolled, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
From Nov. 1-28, more than 870,000 Floridians signed up for the Affordable Care Act on the federal marketplace, leading the country among the 36 states with exchanges on HealthCare.gov. That outpaces the record year that Florida had last year, when nearly 797,000 people signed up in November 2019, before the Dec. 15 deadline.
Steven Ullmann, a healthcare policy expert with the University of Miami, said there is added incentive in South Florida to sign up for any health insurance plan, even the ones with high deductibles — up to $6,000 until a plan’s coverage kicks in — that are most popular on the federal health exchange. That’s because Miami-Dade County has some of the most expensive healthcare in the country, he said.
“People have a realization that to offset some of those costs, if they ever needed any healthcare, that the insurance is something that they want to have,” he said.
According to Zein, there are about 125,000 people in Miami-Dade and 85,000 people in Broward who are uninsured and could qualify for health insurance at no monthly cost.
HOW DO I ENROLL?
A main way to enroll in the ACA/Obamacare marketplace is via the nation
wide HealthCare.gov website.
That primary sign-up site will let you see the plans and costs and also lets you click on links to find local help — such as hundreds of South Florida agents who can walk you through the sign-up process and help you tailor coverage to your specific needs and budget.
You can also call 800318-2596 for questions on enrolling in the Marketplace from HealthCare.gov representatives.
I LOST, OR MAY LOSE, MY JOB AND COBRA IS TOO EXPENSIVE. CAN I SIGN UP AFTER DEC. 15?
“Health Insurance Marketplace coverage often is more affordable than COBRA for those who have lost jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic or other reasons,” Zein said. She adds that people who have lost their jobs can sign up for coverage even after the Dec. 15 deadline. People have 60 days to sign up for coverage after qualifying life events such as job loss, marriage, child birth and adoption through what is called a special enrollment period.
These are individuals who could receive free yearly checkups, preventive
screenings, such as mammograms, and comprehensive blood work along with the security of knowing they are covered should an unexpected health issue arise — but they are missing out on these potentially life-saving benefits.
CAN I STILL GET FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (SUBSIDIES)?
Yes, financial assistance is still available for those who qualify. Local agents or the national website can offer direction to the 970,000 or so uninsured Floridians, according to Florida Blue’s Jorge Martinez.
I COULDN’T AFFORD HEALTH INSURANCE WHEN I CHECKED IN PAST YEARS. HAS THAT CHANGED?
Prices vary. But according to Martinez, there have been several adjustments to the Affordable Care Act and pricing on plans changes every year. Contact a local insurance agent or the HealthCare.gov navigator to see what you may qualify for in the 2021 plan.