Health Care Open Enrollment Begins for Get Covered NJ

Residents looking to enroll or change their health care coverage can now compare plans and sign up as the Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment Period at Get Covered New Jersey (GetCovered.NJ.gov) has gone live. The open enrollment period started Monday, November 1, with more plan choices and record levels of financial help to lower the cost of health insurance.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only served to prove how important it is to provide our residents with effective and affordable health insurance. Eligible residents should look to take advantage of the wide range of cost-effective health care plans offered through Get Covered New Jersey.

Nine out of 10 residents enrolling at Get Covered New Jersey will qualify for financial help to lower the cost of quality, affordable health coverage. The majority of people receiving financial help will have access to a health plan at a cost of $10 a month or less, due to historic savings that remains available for 2022 from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and the State of New Jersey.

New Jersey transitioned from the federal health insurance marketplace to its own last year. This has allowed the state to offer a longer Open Enrollment Period, state subsidies to lower costs along with available federal tax credits, and a strengthened assister network providing free enrollment assistance to residents.

The American Rescue Plan ensures no one pays more than 8.5 percent of their income for health insurance. The additional savings allowed New Jersey to increase the amount of state subsidies available to eligible consumers and to extend the state savings to residents at higher income levels for the first time, allowing those earning an annual salary of up to 600 percent of the federal poverty level ($77,280 for an individual and $159,000 for a family of four) to receive state assistance.

For 2022, consumers will have more plan choices with the entry of a new health insurance company selling plans through Get Covered New Jersey. Ambetter from WellCare of New Jersey will enter the market in 2022, joining AmeriHealth, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, and Oscar.

The Open Enrollment Period for 2022 coverage at Get Covered New Jersey (GetCovered.NJ.gov) will run from November 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022. Consumers must enroll by December 31, 2021, for coverage starting January 1, 2022. If they enroll by January 31, 2022, coverage will begin February 1, 2022. Open Enrollment is the only time residents can enroll in a plan unless they have a major life event such as getting married, moving or having a baby, which qualifies them for a Special Enrollment Period.

Residents can browse plans now and see if they qualify for financial help at GetCovered.NJ.gov.

If you have any other questions about County services, please call me at (856) 225-5575 or email me at [email protected]. Also, you can like us on Facebook/ camdencountynj and follow us on Twitter at @camdencountynj.