by Matthew Valeta, Health Policy Analyst
FACT SHEET: Can You Still Enroll in Health Insurance? by Charlotte Kaye, Health Policy Fellow
Obamacare has already helped over 277,000 Coloradans get the quality health care they need, and consumers may still be able to sign up! Though the open enrollment deadline for all private plans ended on March 31st, some Coloradans may still be eligible to enroll for health insurance before the next open enrollment period starts on November 15, 2014.
First, here are the rules if you already had heath insurance.
If a person was already enrolled in an insurance plan and loses coverage for one of the reasons below, they can enroll now in a new plan through Connect for Health Colorado if they:
- Moved
- Left or lost a job with employer sponsored health insurance
- Divorced or legally separated
- Turned 26 and lost coverage through your parent’s plan
- No longer eligible for Medicaid of CHIP
- Their old plan ended
- Became newly eligible or ineligible for advanced premium tax credits or cost sharing reductions
What if you don’t have health insurance right now?
A consumer without health insurance can enroll in private health insurance past the March 31 deadline if they have:
- Gotten married or gotten divorced
- Had a child or adopted a child
In the case of these life events, a consumer may also be eligible to enroll past the March 31 deadline. Once one of these events happens – the person has a 60 day special enrollment period to sign up for coverage. When a person applies because of one of these changes, financial help is still available if they buy a plan through Connect for Health Colorado and assistance is always on-hand by calling 855-752-6749.
But wait, there’s more! The open enrollment for health insurance doesn’t apply to everyone.
A consumer can still enroll at any time if they are:
- Eligible for Medicaid or have a child who is eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Coloradans with incomes under $15,856 for individuals and $32,499 for a family of four may be eligible for Medicaid coverage and can enroll at any time. Over 158,000 Coloradans have already enrolled in Medicaid!
- To enroll online go to coloradopeak.force.com or call: 1-800-221-3943.
- A small business owner who wants to offer employees coverage. Employers can sign up anytime during the year through Connect for Health Colorado’s Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) at http://connectforhealthco.com/employers/
- Financial help is also available to small business owners with fewer than 25 employees who make less than $50,000 a year.
- A Native American or Alaska Native.
- Native Americans are able to enroll year round through Connect for Health Colorado.
- You will not have to pay deductibles, co-payments or coinsurance for private health insurance if you are individual earning between $15,000 and $33,000 a year or a family of four earning between $34,000 and $71,000 a year.
- Find out more by visiting ConnectforHealthco.com/native-americans/ or call 855-752-6749.
Thanks to Obamacare, more than 277,000 Coloradans now have access to quality, affordable health care—many of them for the first time ever. In an unexpected event such as needing to switch jobs, they don’t have to worry about their health plan. They know they’re covered and that’s a big deal!