Beginning November 1st and through December 15th is your opportunity to purchase a plan or if you currently have an individual health plan, you’ll be able to change your carrier OR change your plan. This is the only time you can enroll or make changes unless you have had what is called a “qualified event”.
There are 2 ways to purchase a plan:
- either direct from the carrier, or
- through gov.
The benefit of purchasing through Healthcare.gov is you may qualify for an applied premium tax credit or another term, a premium subsidy. This is still the ACA or the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obama Care. Whatever you call it, I’ve seen how it helps individuals and families afford health care.
For 2020, the big four carriers have not changed (Providence, Kaiser, Moda and Pacific Source) offering individual plans in their very specific Provider networks. Know where your doctors are and choose wisely because these plans do not offer out of network coverage.
There is no longer a tax penalty if you do not have a “qualified” health plan. Some people find Short Term Medical (STM) plans an alternative and they are less costly. Know the differences; a STM plan does not cover any “pre-existing” condition. Please be careful of ads for “Trumpcare” as “Trumpcare” does not exist and many of the advertised plans offer bare-bone coverage with extensive limitations.
Don’t miss out!
I still have people call in throughout the year wanting to purchase an individual health plan and I have to tell them that Open Enrollment ended in December! So, don’t wait, give me a call.
Christopher Levesque with Insurance Partners NW has been helping individuals and families with their health care needs since 2003. Visit our website www.Insurancepartnersnw.com to make an appointment or Contact Christopher at Christopher@InsurancePartnersNW.com