Health Insurance Deadline Sunday

The open-enrollment period for individual health insurance through the federal marketplace will soon close.

The annual 45-day period, which started on Nov. 1 and ends Sunday, gives people who don't get insurance through their job the chance to enroll, re-enroll or change their health insurance plan offered as part of the Affordable Care Act.

Three companies are offering plans through the New Hampshire marketplace: Anthem, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Ambetter, according to the N.H. Insurance Department.

As of Wednesday, data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show 53,785 Granite Staters have enrolled so far this year. This is already up about 5 percent from last year, when the state had 51,058 people sign up.

To enroll, visit healthcare.gov. Help with enrolling can also be found at healthcare.gov/find-assistance or by calling 800-318-2596. Free assistance is also available through the New Hampshire Navigator program by calling 603-931-3858 or visiting ACANavigator.com.

Locally, Cheshire Medical Center in Keene offers support by appointment through its family resource counselor, Ruth Abbott. She can be reached at [email protected] or 354-5454, extension 2792. Zoom and limited in-person appointments are available until the deadline. For more details, visit cheshiremed.org/resource-counseling.

People can enroll for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program at any time of year. Special enrollment periods are available year-round for people who experience certain events, such as losing health coverage, moving, getting married, having a baby or adopting a child.

Funding for the Monadnock Region Health Reporting Lab comes from several sources, including The Sentinel and several local businesses and private donors. We continue to seek additional support. The newsroom maintains full editorial control over all content produced by the lab.

Olivia Belanger can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439, or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @OBelangerKS.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.