New Website Determines Insurance Subsidy Eligibility

Feb. 28--With the March 31 deadline for getting health insurance fast approaching, people can now use a new website to help them find out if they qualify for financial assistance if they buy a health insurance plan on the healthcare.gov website.

The website -- www.HealthTaxCreditTool.org -- is based on research that shows two-thirds of uninsured adults eligible for government subsidies on the new health exchanges don't know the subsidies exist, and that more than 80 percent said they would likely obtain insurance if they had financial help.

"It's a very simple and user-friendly site," said Nancy Woolery, health projects manager with the city of Bloomington and a certified health care navigator. "People can just plug in their information, and the site will tell them whether they qualify for tax credits that lower their premiums."

On the website, consumers must anonymously answer questions about their family makeup, health care status, state of residence and earnings to see if they qualify for a subsidy. But people must still go through healthcare.gov to officially apply for a subsidy and purchase a health insurance plan.

The new site is the result of a partnership between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Consumer Reports. The partnership also has launched a Spanish-language version of the website -- www.CreditoFiscalde Salud.org -- hoping to reach the two-thirds of surveyed Hispanics who said they did not know they could receive financial assistance through Obamacare.

"A lot of people think they earn too much to get a tax credit," Woolery said. "Some people who make $80,000 a year might think there's no way they could qualify for a credit, but a family of four can make as much as $94,200 a year and still qualify for tax credits."

Woolery recommends that people use the new site before coming to see a navigator, who will help them through the process of enrolling in a health insurance plan through healthcare.gov.

"If they know ahead of time that they qualify for subsidies, it will make the process a lot simpler and quicker when the navigator helps them," Woolery said.

Where to get help

Most Americans have until the end of March to acquire health insurance of pay a tax penalty of $95 or up to 1 percent of their annual income, whichever is greater.

People seeking assistance buying health insurance through the healthcare.gov website can set up an appointment with a trained "navigator" by calling IU Health Morgan Hospital, IU Health Paoli Hospital, or IU Health Bedford Hospital; or by calling IU Health Bloomington's Individual Solutions (413 S. Landmark Ave.) at 812-353-2020 or 1-800-313-1328.

They can also call 349-3851 and set up an appointment with Woolery or one of her interns who has also become certified as a navigator. Those two are helping people enroll in plans, or qualify for Medicaid or the Healthy Indiana Plan, in Suite 260 at the city's Community and Family Resources Department at 401 N. Morton St. Woolery has been helping two to three people a week.

"I've also partnered with Individual Solutions to help people with enrollment at Ivy Tech," Woolery said. "And some of those who will become certified navigators after taking my course will help Individual Solutions people at Volunteers in Medicine enroll people in the Healthy Indiana Plan, which has opened up new slots for childless adults."

People can also find assistance at two "health insurance community fairs," one from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.March 6 and another from 2 to 4:30 p.m.March 22, at the Monroe County Public Library. At the fairs, being put on by the Affordable Care Act Volunteers of Monroe County, people will be able to get one-on-one assistance from volunteers who will help them possibly qualify for subsidies and buy health insurance through the Indiana marketplace at healthcare.gov.

The volunteer organization is also sponsoring a "health plan comparison forum" at 6:30 p.m.March 25 in the library, during which representatives from insurance companies MDwise and Anthem will talk about the 18 marketplace plans available to people in our area.

Outreach to college students

A student-led effort aimed at reaching the nearly 50,000 college undergraduate and graduate students in Monroe County with information on the new health care law has been launched by the Affordable Care Act Volunteers of Monroe County.

"College students operate in real time and are incredibly deadline-focused," said David Meyer, president of the volunteer group. "Their college career is directed by completing assignments at specific times. Figuring out their situation under the new law and getting covered or applying for an exemption is now upon them, and they will likely respond as their training dictates -- at the last second."

The outreach effort, dubbed the "March Healthcare Madness Campaign," is largely electronic in nature, and the content of the campaign materials is different from materials the organization has developed for older audiences.

The campaign is being carried out by Indiana University student interns and volunteers with the ACA Volunteers of Monroe County, who will work in tandem to educate and assist students throughout the school year about the new health care law. Meanwhile, the community volunteer group is offering twice-weekly information tables on the Ivy Tech campus.

"Social media is where college students spend much of their time, and so, that is where they will find much of our assistance," Meyer said. "The new campaign focuses on how students can figure out if they are exempt from the upcoming penalty that will be charged to folks who do not get health insurance by the March 31, 2014 deadline."

Meyer said most college students are just beginning to understand the value of health insurance.

Donyel Byrd, the volunteer organization's outreach coordinator, said college students "simply don't know yet that, without insurance, a broken arm can leave them with a $10,000 medical bill. They also don't understand that the new free preventive services that are offered with these medical insurance plans cover birth control, PAP smears, flu and HPV shots and annual physicals at no additional cost."

Health care navigator training available

Nancy Woolery has also been approved by the Indiana Department of Insurance to teach pre-certification training courses to prepare people to take the exam that must be passed to become a certified navigator. She taught a two-day training course to 10 people in early February, and plans to teach another course in August or September.

Woolery said her goal is to provide more navigators in the community, adding to the pool of 12 navigators now helping people enroll at IU Health Bloomington's Individual Solutions, who can help people with the next open enrollment which begins Nov. 15, 2014 and ends Jan. 15, 2015. She said she expects all 10 people who took her pre-certification class will become certified as navigators within a few weeks.

"When I took my pre-certification class in Carmel it was a three-day session and I had to pay $275," Woolery said. "But I'm charging people only $25 to take my pre-certification class, and they don't have to travel to Carmel."

Woolery said to become a navigator, those who complete their pre-certification training must complete an online application on the Indiana Department of Insurance website, pay a processing fee, undergo a background check, sign some forms and pay an $85 fee to take the navigator certification exam.

More information: http://www.in.gov/idoi

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