The.Ismaili USA | 20 November 2017

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Open Enrollment

Health insurance is not only for the unpredictable or unexpected problems, but also for annual checkups, vaccinations, and cancer screenings. Without health insurance, you risk financial ruin. The objective of health insurance is to catch medical problems before they become serious enough to require hospitalization.

Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is the only time you can purchase health insurance from www.healthcare.gov/. This year the open enrollment period is much shorter than previous years and runs from November 1, 2017 through December 15, 2017 only. Health insurance cannot be purchased after the open enrollment period. Not having insurance will result in a penalty of up to $695 per adult and $349 per child, or 2.5% of your yearly income, whichever is higher.Some of the advantages of the ACA include:

  • Coverage of chronic diseases like diabetes
  • Children and young adults up to age 26 can stay on their parents' health insurance plans.
  • There is no longer a yearly dollar limit on coverage for your health care.
  • All plans are required to cover 10 essential benefits such as mental health, substance abuse, maternity care, and much more.
  • Free preventive care, such as annual check-ups, immunizations, pap smears, colonoscopy, mammograms, bone scans, and others.

There are plan options that meet everyone’s needs.  There are also subsidies and other forms of financial help for those who qualify. Those who had insurance from ACA Marketplace in the past, and are receiving correspondence from insurance companies, please be sure to review it carefully and follow up with your insurance agent.

The deadline to enroll is December 15, 2017 and the marketplace website will remain closed on Sundays. 

For specific questions or further details, please contact the ACA Hotline at (936) 344-1919 or at [email protected]