Believe it or not, the Affordable Care Act is still in effect.
Do I need to care about open enrollment?
Open enrollment is the time when anybody can enroll in a health insurance plan for any reason.
Itsopento everyone, see?
The other kind of enrollment is special enrollment, which applies to the rest of the year.
Life events like getting married or having a baby open up an enrollment window just for your family.
Losing insurance coverage and moving your residence also qualify;read up hereto learn more about what events qualify.
If you get insurance through your work, youll have to ask your HR people about enrollment periods.
(They probably also have an open enrollment for employees around this time of year.)
If you dont like your employers coverage, youcanshop around.
Itsrarely a good deal, though.
Cant I just ignore this and get the same plan as last year?
The new plan may not include your favorite doctor in their web link, for example.
So if you dont like the new plan, youre stuck with it.
When do I sign up?
Open enrollment isNovember 1 to December 15, 2018in most states.
Some states have anextended open enrollment periodthis year.
They all still start on November 1, and here are their end dates.
you could also find shareable info cards with these dates in English and Spanishhere.
So, anytime in that window?
If you need free, in-person help to sign up, its especially important to be early.
So if you or a family member might need assistance, make an appointment ASAP.
(You canlook up local assisters and brokers here.
Like we saidsign up early.
How Much Is This Gonna Cost Me?
This is the good news!
Most people get a substantial subsidy when they buy insurance on the Marketplace (healthcare.govor your states equivalent).
The exact rates will vary, but there are two different types of subsidy that can lower your costs.
Here are the two kinds of subsidies
Advance premium tax creditsreduce your monthly payment.
They are available for people making 100 to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
(Numbers are different for Alaska and Hawaii;check here for specifics.)
Again, these numbers are different for Alaska and Hawaii.
Go to healthcare.gov or your states equivalent to find out how much you would pay.
Most people who qualify pay less than $100/month, and in some cases insurance can even be free.
paythe CSR payments that make those low-deductible silver plans possible.
So were all screwed, right?
Amazingly…maybe not.
The question now is whether your monthly payments will go up because of this.
What if you dont qualify for those subsidies?
Thats rightgold might be cheaper than silver.
It will be cheaper than the Marketplace version of that plan.
InColorado, Delaware, Indiana, Oklahoma,andWest Virginia, premiums will be higher across the board.
Here, its the insurance companies that take the hit, rather than consumers or the federal government.
Keep an eye out: this is where insurers are likely to pull out of the market.
On the other hand, state regulators could change their mind and implement one of the strategies above.
Whats happening with politics, though?
A lot, but it doesnt matter right now.
Also, theres a tax reform bill that could involve elements of ACA repeal.
Any legislative changes would only apply to 2019 and beyond.
