Enrollment in the state’s health insurance marketplace has already increased during the current open enrollment period, and state officials are optimistic that number will increase by the time enrollment closes this month.
Or move on.
Open enrollment ends on December 31st for those who wish to start coverage on January 1st. However, if you miss the year-end deadline, you can still register until January 15th. Coverage only starts in February.
“Anyone who submits an application by Dec. 31 will receive coverage starting in January,” said Michele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Department of Health. Redemption of benefits It supervises the market.
“If someone is busy on vacation and misses December 31st, if they miss the deadline, they need to apply for insurance by January 15th, but then their medical insurance won’t start until February 1st. “It will be,” she said.
Eberle said more than 217,000 Marylanders purchased private health plans through Maryland Health Connection, the state’s health insurance marketplace, in the past year. This is an increase of about 2% compared to the same period last year and means more people are using the Marketplace to get insurance.
“What we’re always trying to do is get more people insured,” Hebert said. “So that’s fine.”
She encourages Marylanders without health insurance or who are interested in other insurance options to purchase a plan on the Marketplace before the open enrollment period ends. Open enrollment is a time nationwide when people can get a private health plan or change their current plan on the exchanges. Insurance changes can only be made during open enrollment, except for “qualifying life events” such as divorce, marriage, birth of a child, or loss of other insurance.
Maryland state insurance market; It’s called Maryland Health Connection. It’s part of the Obama-era Affordable Care Act. Not only do we offer a variety of private health plans with different levels of coverage, we also offer tax credits and subsidies that can help lower the monthly cost of your insurance plan.
While these savings vary based on the applicant’s financial situation, age and other factors, the average tax credit each member receives per month is $474, according to the exchange’s November data.
As of November, 217,070 Marylanders purchased private health insurance through the exchange.
Enrollment numbers were already rising this year because of the repeal of a coronavirus-era federal rule that prohibited states from removing people from Medicaid during the public health emergency. When those protections expire in April 2023, Maryland health officials began the lengthy process of determining Medicaid eligibility for the 1.8 million Medicaid residents who were insured at the time.
About 100,000 people who lost their Medicaid eligibility were directed to the marketplace, where they were encouraged to enroll in private plans.
Eberle is especially excited about this open enrollment period. Because the recent federal decision to open the Marketplace to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients will allow thousands of immigrants in Maryland to join the Marketplace for the first time. -They are called “Dreamers”. Previously, DACA recipients were not eligible to purchase insurance through their state’s marketplace, although some obtained health insurance through their employers.
There are about 7,000 DACA residents in Maryland, and market participants expect about half of them to be eligible for the exchange, Eberle said. So far, about 210 DACA recipients have enrolled in insurance through the state’s marketplace, and coverage is expected to begin for them in the new year.
The state Legislature passed a law this year that would allow other undocumented immigrants to buy private health insurance plans through the exchanges, pending federal waiver approval. But state health officials and immigrant advocates say the incoming Trump administration could disrupt those plans.
“Nobody knows what’s going to happen with the Hispanic community and enrollment this year,” Ebert said. “The last time President Trump spoke about ICE while in office, [Immingration and Customs Enforcement] And because of the deportations, people were really afraid of getting press coverage.
“So let’s see what happens,” she said.
Ebert said the exchange is working to enroll more DACA recipients and expects currently eligible immigrants to enroll in health insurance this year.
“Even if you live in a mixed household and someone in your household doesn’t have the proper documentation, please apply. We will not share your information with anyone, so we encourage you to apply,” she said. urged.
For those looking to change their health insurance or enrolling for the first time, Eberle said they can purchase a different plan before signing up through the Health Connection website.
“With all this information… it’s going to move pretty quickly,” Hebert said. But applicants need to set aside about 30 minutes to enroll in a plan, she said.
She said Maryland Health Connection has hundreds of language options to choose from, so if you need help registering, you can use the chat box on the website or call for assistance. Ta.
