Check Your 2015 Health Care Coverage
Posted on November 30, 2014 by bob in Medicare
More than 7 million Americans, including 97,870 Alabama residents, got coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace during the program’s first open enrollment period a year ago. Now’s the time to check your health care coverage for 2015 or sign up for the first time.
If you bought a health plan last year, you’ll want to review it to make sure it still meets your needs. Every year, insurers make changes to premiums, out-of-pocket costs and benefits. Look for a letter from your insurance company explaining how your costs and benefits may change for 2015.
Even if you’re satisfied with your current coverage, it’ll be smart to log into your marketplace account at www.healthcare.gov and update your information on household income and family size. You may also contact the marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596 to do that.
Updating your personal information is important, because you may be eligible for lower costs than last year. Seventy-nine percent of the New Mexico residents who signed up during the first enrollment period qualified for help with their premiums. That help reduced their costs by 76 percent on average.
Generally, if you bought a plan last year and do nothing this year, you’ll be automatically re-enrolled. Yet as tempting as “doing nothing” sounds, you could be missing out on a better deal.
Nationally, 25 percent more insurers will offer coverage through the marketplace in 2015. By comparing all the available plans in your area at www.healthcare.gov, you may find one that saves you more money, offers more services or includes more doctors in its network of providers.
The open enrollment season runs until Feb. 15. But if you want any changes in your coverage to take effect on Jan. 1, you must act by Dec. 15.
Like last year, this year’s open enrollment gives the uninsured the chance to obtain coverage through the marketplace. The private health plans all cover a comprehensive set of benefits, including doctor visits, hospital stays, preventive care, pregnancy and prescription drugs.
Health plans sold through the marketplace must treat you fairly. Insurers can’t deny you coverage because you have a medical issue, such as cancer or diabetes. Nor can they charge you more than they would someone who’s in good health.
By completing an application at www.healthcare.gov, you’ll find out if you qualify for savings you can use right away to lower your premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. The application has been streamlined since last year so that it requires less time and work from most new enrollees.
The marketplace simplifies your shopping for coverage by letting you make convenient comparisons of health plans. You’ll get a clear picture of what benefits you’d get and what premiums and deductibles you’d pay. Then you can enroll in the plan that best fits your needs and budget.
If you expect frequent doctor visits or need regular prescriptions, you may want to pick a plan that has higher monthly premiums but pays more of the costs when you require care. If you don’t foresee many visits through the year, you may prefer a plan with lower premiums.
Also, before you buy a plan through the marketplace, check whether your doctor is in the plan’s network. Your out-of-pocket costs will be lower. The most direct way to find out is to call the insurance company’s customer service line. You can get the number through www.healthcare.gov.
The website has been improved over the last year so that it can better accommodate the heavy demands that will be placed on it as millions of consumers shop, compare and enroll. If you like, you’ll be able to access the website on your cellphone and sign up for coverage.
At the marketplace call center, an additional 1,000 customer service representatives have been hired to assist consumers who call 1-800-318-2596. You can also visit localhelp.healthcare.gov/ to locate the organizations in your community that will assist you in signing up for coverage.
For most people, the open enrollment period from Nov. 15 to Feb. 15 is the only time during the year when you can buy health insurance through the marketplace. So don’t delay. Start shopping today.
Bob Moos is Southwest public affairs officer for the U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
