The Erlanger Health System will host monthly Affordable Care Act (ACA) information sessions in preparation for the next enrollment period this fall.
Many area residents still have questions regarding the ACA and how to enroll for health insurance through the marketplace or federal assistance programs. As a community service, the Erlanger Southside and Dodson Avenue Community Health Centers will begin hosting several community education workshops focusing on health insurance and the Marketplace.
“The goal for Erlanger’s navigators and counselors is to provide information on various topics regarding ACA every month so area residents will be better informed and prepared to make decisions by November,” said Katherlyn Geter, Erlanger Health System ACA Program Manager.”
The first workshop, Special Enrollment for Tax Penalty, is scheduled for Monday, March 30 between noon and 4 p.m. at theDodson Community Health Center. Attendees will have the opportunity to see if they qualify for the Special Enrollment Period (SEP), now available through April 30 by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“If residents still have questions about ACA, or did not enroll for 2015 health coverage or owe a fee, now would be the best time to take advantage of the assistance for 2015,” said Geter. “Plans are still available for 2015 for individuals who are eligible and are paying a penalty for not having health insurance in 2014.”
Those who are eligible for SEP must live in states with Federal Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) and:
- Are not currently enrolled in 2015 health coverage (whether through the FFM, an employer or other sources like the individual marketplace),
- Attest that they are or willing to be subject to the fee for not having health coverage for all or part of 2014 when they file their 2014 taxes, and
- Attest that they first became aware of, or understood the implications of, the requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage after the end of open enrollment (February 15, 2015) in connection with preparing their 2014 taxes.
Those who are not eligible for SEP are:
- Consumers who are exempt from the fee for the entire year in 2014 or who had coverage for the entire year in 2014.
- Consumers who completed their tax filing prior to February 15, 2015 or otherwise became aware that they would be subject to the fee in 2014 before the end of open enrollment.
- Consumers who do not have to pay the penalty but are subject to reconciliation and have to repay Advanced Premium Tax Credits received in 2014.
For more information about the monthly workshops or ACA questions and/or enrollment assistance, contact Erlanger’s Community Health Centers: Dodson Avenue at 423-778-2800 or Southside at 423-778-2700.