4 Dates You Need to Know

Is November 15th, 2014 marked on your calendar? If not, it should be.  This is the first day that you are able to begin enrolling and shopping for marketplace plans. Anyone that requires health coverage through the Affordable Care Act, regardless if you already have coverage, or are looking for a new plan, will need to be on the marketplace.

December 15, 2014 is another extremely important deadline. In order for your new coverage to begin by January 1st, you must be enrolled by this date.  If you are confused on how to get Obamacare, let us simplify it for you:

Option 1: Work with an agent.  By working with a licensed agent, we are able to not only discuss, but also suggest plans that would be best suited for your situation.

Option 2: Work with a navigator. Navigators are people trained to work with individuals and businesses regarding Obamacare plans. However, they are not able to recommend a plan, only go over the available options.

Option 3: Use a government website such as healthcare.gov or Medicare.gov. As with navigators, these are great resources for gathering information, however, they are unable to provide you with any type of recommendation.

If you currently have a plan, and do not want to have a lapse in coverage, make sure to enroll by the December 15, 2014 deadline.

The coverage for all marketplace plans ends on December 31, 2014. This deadline stands for all plans. Regardless if you enrolled in January of 2014, or as recent as November 2014, all plans absolutely end December 31^st, so you must re-enroll.

The last day of open enrollment for 2015 is February 15, 2015. If you do not enroll by this deadline, you will be required to pay a fee for being uninsured, unless you qualify for the special enrollment period. Examples of special enrollment circumstances include:

• A marriage or divorce
• Having a child, adoption, or a change in a child’s placement
• A change in citizenship
• A move

If you have any questions regarding the special enrollment period, think you may qualify or have any other questions, please feel free to contact us!