ACCESS HEALTH CT PUSHES CONSUMERS TO VERIFY INFO

Access Health CT warns that more than 23,000 consumers - including more than 3,000 in Fairfield County - still need to send documents to verify their account information such as annual household income or immigration status to receive insurance coverage this year.

"If you got a letter from Access Health CT in the mail or through your online account asking you to send us documents to confirm details of your application, please do so as soon as possible, or you could lose your 2018 coverage or financial help," AHCT CEO James R. Wadleigh Jr. said.

The open enrollment period for 2018 coverage ended on Dec. 22,2017, and consumers have 90 days from their date of enrollment to submit their information if it is requested. Nearly 31 percent of open verifications have a due date of Feb. 25,2018.

"Every year we see people lose their insurance or financial help because they fail to pay their bill or send us the documents we need to verify that the information we have in the system is correct," Wadleigh said.

Wadleigh also clarified that the elimination of the individual mandate penalty, which requires people to have health care coverage or pay a penalty, does not take effect until 2019. Consumers still need to have coverage in 2018 or they will have to pay a tax penalty.

He further noted that customers must pay their first bill to their insurance company on time to remain covered.

- Aleesia Fomi, Ryan D?ffenbaugh and Kevin Zimmerman