Deadline is Saturday for North Carolinians to sign up for Obamacare health insurance

Dec. 10--People who need or want to buy health insurance for the 2020 calendar year through the Affordable Care Act, aka "Obamacare," must sign up for it no later than Saturday.

Those who previously have used the Affordable Care Act may want to review plans to see if they can get a better deal this year, says a news release from the Get America Covered advocacy organization.

Kaiser Health News reported in November that nationally, premiums are 4% lower for 2020 than they were for 2019. Subsidies are built into the program for lower-income customers, and this could make the insurance free for some customers, Kaiser reported.

(Note that below a certain income threshold in North Carolina, some people are "too poor" to qualify the Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies, and North Carolina's legislature voted against participation in a federal Medicaid program that would have helped these people get health insurance coverage.)

There are several ways to shop for and purchase insurance under the Affordable Care Act, Get America Covered said:

--Sign up online at healthcare.gov, review the options and select an insurance plan.

--Call 800-318-2596 to speak with a professional who can offer guidance.

--Go online and make an appointment with a local expert who can meet with you and assist you. Got to localhelp.healthcare.gov to see a list of places to call, or go to widget.getcoveredamerica.org to schedule an appointment.

Staff writer Paul Woolverton can be reached at [email protected] and 910-486-3512.

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