Insurance Experts Advise Against Automatic Re-Enrollment
By Lauren Sausser, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
In theory, the Obama administration wanted to streamline the sign-up process, eliminating the need for shoppers who are happy with their current plans to spend more time online weighing their options for next year's coverage.
But experts caution that automatically re-enrolling could be a big mistake.
"It's really not advisable to make a choice before
Open enrollment won't start until
The
Customers in
"There will be more plans for our consumers to consider. There will be more need for our consumers to shop," he said.
That's one reason why customers who bought insurance last year may not want to automatically re-enroll in their current plan. The new options should be considered because one of them may be a better fit.
Also, automatically re-enrolling may jeopardize the amount of money that many people receive to offset the cost of their policy. Some customers, depending on how they filled out their application last year, could lose their subsidy completely if they choose to automatically re-enroll.
Obviously, no one wants to pay the full amount for insurance if they don't have to, Quenga said, and customers may qualify for more or less financial aid if their income has recently changed.
"I would hate for somebody to be eligible for more and not get it," said
The bottom line is that insurance shoppers need to wait until
"It is strongly encouraged currently enrolled customers go into their (HealthCare.gov) account and say, 'Do not re-enroll me at this time,'" Quenga said.
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