Better Start For 2nd Year Of Enrollment
At that time, widespread issues hit the federal health insurance exchange website, HealthCare.gov, which caused long delays and frustrated consumers who couldn't purchase their plans for days or weeks.
"It was a complete nightmare," said O'Hare, a navigator with
But O'Hare and other local residents reported much better conditions on Saturday, which was the start of the second enrollment period that will run through
"It's working," O'Hare said of the federal website.
"This year, it is going from A to Z without many problems."
O'Hare and other navigators helped local residents buy or investigate available plans during a hands-on workshop Saturday at the
Halfway into the two-hour session, he said they had helped about eight people.
He said similar workshops being held across the state were experiencing similar numbers.
"We are having a steady stream of people come in," he said.
"But it's not like we are opening up the floodgates."
"There was no screaming and yelling," she said. "It was much easier than I had expected."
Snell was covered under her employer's health plan last year. But after recently taking on fewer hours, she lost that coverage and needed to get covered through the exchange.
She said she appreciated the ability to "window shop" -- a feature not available last year -- by looking at the plans, the prices and what tax credits would be available to her before Saturday.
"I was impressed with the affordability," she said. "The tax credits are going to help my family a lot."
But not all had problem-free experiences.
Like Snell,
She said the beginning went smoothly, and she was satisfied with the options and prices of the plans.
But then Flock ran into problems verifying her identity over the website.
"Running into this verification thing is kind of frustrating," she said. "I just don't understand why the heck they can't refer off (my tax returns) to verify who I am."
But by coming in early in the process, Flock will have a good amount of time to work through the problem since the enrollment cutoff date is
O'Hare said he encourages others to also log in online or seek out help early since there will likely not be a time extension like there was last year.
He said people who are new to the exchanges or are looking to re-enroll should also check out all of their options.
Forty plans, an increase over last year, are being offered by the two insurance providers in the state who are participating in the exchange:
But prices for many of the plans are up compared to last year.
According to a New York Times analysis of data released Friday on the new rates, premiums for the lowest-priced silver plans will go up for most parts of
In
This year, it will cost
That is one of the reasons O'Hare said residents who enrolled through the exchange last year should shop around again.
He said those who purchased a plan through the exchange last year don't have to do anything if they want to re-enroll in that plan this year.
But he cautioned they could lose out on tax credits if they did not check a box during their sign-up process last year.
"So what we are telling people is that, no matter what, go in and renew online," he said. "And with 20 to 30 new plans, you might find that there is one that fits you better or maybe your income is different, so you could make those changes."
Local residents will also have more chances for one-on-one assistance from the navigators or Certified Application Counselors.
Those who need help can call
People can call 211 or look in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle to find out the schedules of the navigators.
In addition, Health Works of
Health Works will have certified application counselors to help people with insurance questions. Counselors will be available at three sites in addition to the health center at
The application counselors will be available at the following locations:
- Mondays through Saturdays from
- Tuesdays from
- Wednesdays, from
-
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