Is Obama Care Right for You? 5 Things You Need to Know About Open Enrollment Season
Every year since 2013, millions of Americans are signing up for affordable health insurance via the Affordable Care Act Exchange (aka Obama Care) beginning the first day of November. While it is less likely a joy for some, it is an important annual event that can impact your healthcare for the next year to come.
What‚s different this year? Because the tax penalty (aka the individual mandate) was effectively repealed in late 2017, there will be no penalty for not having insurance. Except for CA, DC, MA, RI, and VE.
Getting healthcare benefits can very confusing, especially when money is tight, and there seem to be more and more options as the years go by. But with years of experience working in healthcare, here are the five things suggest you should know:
1. Enrollment deadline is December 15, 2019
To receive benefit starting January 1, 2020, you must sign up before the Open Enrollment period is over. You have 45 days from November 1 to December 15 to decide which plan is right for you.
There are exceptions in some states, however:
- California – Oct. 15, 2019-Jan. 15, 2020
- Colorado – Nov. 1, 2019-Jan. 15, 2020
- D.C. – Nov. 1, 2019-Jan. 31, 2020
- Massachusetts – Nov. 1, 2019-Jan. 23, 2020
- Minnesota – Nov. 1, 2019-Dec. 23, 2019
- New York – Nov. 1, 2019-Jan. 31, 2020
- Rhode Island – Nov. 1-Dec. 23, 2019
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Khang T. Vuong received his Master of Healthcare Administration from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. He was named Forbes Healthcare 2021 30 under 30. Vuong spoke at Stanford Medicine X, HIMSS conference, and served as a Fellow at the Bon Secours Health System.