ACA Update: Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

By Emily McKinley, Health Information Specialist

It’s official: The Insurance Marketplace Exchanges are open for business. In case you missed the priming, the Marketplaces officially opened October 1, and consumers may now browse, compare, and purchase individual and family insurance coverage on those exchanges. When consumers purchase insurance on the Exchange, tax credits and premium cost-sharing reductions are applied to eligible consumer policy rates if a silver (or higher) plan is purchased. For more information about plan selection and considerations, please read our Guide to Purchasing Health Insurance, available here.

Applications for which Medicaid income and resources eligibility are met will be forwarded to the appropriate state agency, in Indiana, the Division of Family Resources.

If you or a family member are covered by PCIP (Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan) or ICHIA (Indiana Comprehensive Health Insurance Association), the plan will terminate at the end of this calendar year (11:59 pm, December 31, 2013). To ensure uninterrupted insurance coverage, CMS is advising these consumers to purchase insurance plans on the Marketplace by December 7.

Anyone seeking to have coverage start January 1, 2014, is advised to purchase a plan on the Marketplace by December 15. Plans purchased after January 1, will be effective on the first day of the following month.

Open enrollment, or the period in which individuals and families may purchase a new plan without a qualifying event, is October 1, 2013-March 31, 2014. Anyone experiencing a qualifying event, such as an interstate move, change in family or income status, and/or loss or addition of employer-sponsored coverage, may be eligible for a special enrollment period. Generally, these individuals may purchase insurance or opt to participate in an employer-sponsored plan for up to 30 days after the qualifying event.

For more information about the provisions of health care reform, including essential health care benefits, general coverage questions, and plan structures, we encourage you to browse the Health Care Reform page of Family Voices’ website.

To access the exchange or get in touch with an assistor, such as a Navigator or Certified Application Counselor, visit https://www.healthcare.gov/ or call 1-800-318-2596. 

As always, if you have questions or would like to contact Family Voices, please email info@fvindiana.org, call 317.944.8982, or visit our website or blog.