Free Help Offered On Healthcare Deals

Monday was the first day of open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace, marking the start of a

busy season for the SEARHC patient health benefits specialists - and an opportunity for Sitkans to save some

money on health insurance. "It's very exciting," said Susan

Briles, SEARHC patient health benefits supervisor. The consortium is a certified application counselor agency for the Affordable Care Act and offers free

assistance to all Southeast residents by phone or in person. Sitkans are already signing up for appointments with her and her six fellow ACA specialists for help with the signup or renewal process for coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2022, Briles said. "What open enrollment means is that anybody who doesn't qualify for Medicaid and doesn't have health insurance through an employer is able to go onto the health insurance marketplace and buy health insurance," Briles said.

Signup for the 2022 year runs through Jan. 15, 2022. Briles said the SEARHC specialists are getting dozens of calls for help signing up or renewing their coverage

with updated information such as family income or a change in coverage. There have been a few changes in the last year that have increased the subsidies and made health insurance more affordable and with better coverage for many, Briles said. "Because of the American Rescue Plan Act that President Biden signed in March, the subsidies have increased

greatly," Briles said. "So this year people are able to get health insurance for the lowest cost ever. So it's a huge deal." While individuals can renew by themselves on the ACA website (www.healthcare.gov) Briles said her team is ready to help answer questions over the phone, or at an in-person appointment. "We work with every community SEARHC serves," she said, noting that the specialists are planning trips to Haines, Prince of Wales, Hoonah, Angoon, Gustavus and Wrangell to talk to members of those communities. Cost and coverage have changed over the years, so even if people think they don't qualify, they probably do now, Briles said.

These increased subsidies are in

place until the end of 2022 in the Build Back Better (Plan) they're trying to get through Congress now. There's a portion in there to keep the subsidies in the ACA into the future." Briles said she and her team worked with hundreds of people in Sitka and elsewhere at this time last year, and a number of residents have already booked appointments with specialists.

She said the job in the last year has been fulfilling, because she has seen the difference the subsidies are making

in the affordability of health care. "One woman who used to have to work six days a week in order to afford her health insurance - she no longer has to do that because the cost of her insurance is now affordable," Briles said. "She doesn't have to knock herself out to be able to afford it. We have people in the past who were unable to afford to buy it - they're now able to purchase insurance and be insured. And the peace of mind that comes with being insured, especially as we get older, is amazing. It makes our job very gratifying."

Briles said people she's talked to are saying premiums are the lowest they've ever been. She said the eligibility is for those with an income of 138 percent of the federal poverty level and above. Those under that level of income generally qualify for Medicaid. In the past, the ACA capped its eligibility at 400 percent of the federal poverty level. Now there's no cap. Children can be covered in a family

policy until age 26. Briles provided a random example of how much insurance costs monthly for a two-income family that makes $130, 000, with two kids. Under the marketplace at this time, the Gold plan - the best available - would cost $510 per month, which includes the federal $2, 159 subsidy. The Silver plan for some reason this year is more expensive - at $917 per month - even though the coverage is

not as good as that under the Gold plan. And the Bronze plan, which doesn't cover a lot, is $4.05 a month. "Most people go with the Gold

plan," Briles said. The prices she quoted for the Gold plan is with a $1, 500 deductible. Sitka resident Jim Michener said health insurance through the marketplace is worth checking into, even if the program didn't work for you in the past. That was true for him. He and his wife Darcy, owners of Alaska Pure Sea Salt Co., went uninsured for a few years, after they were

in the "donut hole" of coverage: making too much to qualify for the subsidy, but not enough to afford insurance on the open market. They were paying 25 percent of their take-home income for the worst plan available, and were hit with a large tax bill at the end of the 2016 tax year when their business improved. "We were scarily uninsured," he said. But he learned in the spring that the ACA would receive extra help through

the American Rescue Plan Act, and decided to see once again if he could find affordable health insurance. It turned out not only was it more affordable, taking some 9.5 percent of their income, but he and Darcy could afford a better plan. "It's a bill you don't want to pay but you can," he said.

Another bonus has been the way the ACA is working for his business, and his employees. Instead of buying group policy, which is not affordable, the company gives additional pay to staff which they may use to purchase their own individual policies. "I can sleep well knowing I can supply that for someone who works hard for me," Jim said. Michener said for anyone who has been skeptical about insurance being affordable - or has found it to be not worth the effort in the past - to take another look. The healthcare.gov site allows you to plug in information to see

the plans under your income level, but SEARHC also has people available to answer questions. "I'm always telling people, 'please call, please call, please call,'" he said. Assistance with healthcare coverage is available by email at outreach@searhc.org or by calling 907-966-8684.