Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Plans are still available for 2015 for those who qualify, thanks to a Special Enrollment Period released by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Consumers qualify for a special enrollment period if you are paying a penalty on your 2014 taxes for not having health care insurance. Those eligible for this special enrollment period live in states with a Federally-facilitated Health Care Marketplace. This includes the counties of Hamilton, Bradley, Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie. Other requirements are consumers who:
- are not currently enrolled in coverage through the Health Care Marketplace for 2015;
- attest that when they filed their 2014 tax return they paid or believe they will pay the fee for not having health coverage in 2014; and
- attest that they first became aware of, or understood the implications of, the Shared Responsibility Payment after the end of open enrollment (February 15, 2015) in connection with preparing their 2014 taxes.
“We are encouraging consumers to take advantage of this opportunity to enroll in quality healthcare insurance plans at affordable rates and avoid having to pay another penalty in the 2015 tax season,” said Nancy Ridge, Navigation Program manager at the Medical Foundation of Chattanooga.
The special enrollment period will begin on March 15 and end at 11:59 p.m. on April 30. If a consumer enrolls in coverage before the 15th of the month, coverage will be effective on the first day of the following month.
Ongoing opportunities for special enrollment periods include life qualifying events such as marriage, divorce, loss of job coverage insurance, turning 26, or moving into a different region or state.
Certified navigators at the Medical Foundation are available to assist you with this and any Special Enrollment Period, at no charge. Call 423-622-2872 for an appointment or with questions.
The Medical Foundation of Chattanooga is partnering with the Seedco (Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation) Mid-South Regional Office for the healthcare navigation project. The project described was supported by Funding Opportunity Number CA-NAV-14-002 from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The contents provided are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies.