Deadline for health insurance open enrollment is nearing

Nov. 27--Mark your calendar: The deadline to sign up for health insurance on the state's Health Benefits Exchange is less than three weeks away.

This year's open enrollment period for 2019 began on Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 15. People who don't receive insurance through an employer or who are ineligible for government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare can purchase private insurance plans on wahealthplanfinder.org, the online marketplace that allows side-by-side comparison of the different plans being offered in each county.

As of Monday, 2,902 people in Yakima County had signed up for health insurance through the state's Health Benefit Exchange, said spokesman Michael Marchand.

"This is around the same number we had signed up at this time last year," he said in an email. "We fully expect to see more new and renewing people come in as we get closer to the deadline."

During last year's open enrollment period, 3,243 people from Yakima County signed up.

About 194,000 people statewide have signed up through the exchange this year, Marchand said. The state had about 209,000 people sign up last year total, he said.

Through the state's health plan finder website, users can enter their provider preferences, prescription drug requirements and how much they're able to pay, and can find assistance choosing a plan. Users can sign up for health and dental insurance plans, but must buy during the enrollment period. Coverage starts Jan. 1.

Because of changes implemented through the Trump tax reform bill, there's no federal mandate to buy insurance. In the past, that requirement was administered through tax filings. About 266,000 Washington residents -- 4 percent of the state's population -- do not get employer or government-sponsored health insurance, according to the state's insurance commissioner.

Health insurance companies requested a 19.4 percent average price increase, but the state decided only a 13.6 percent increase was warranted. All 39 counties in the state have at least one Exchange insurer.

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