Last call for Obamacare? 2017 Open Enrollment ends Tuesday

Jan. 31--Tuesday could mark your last opportunity to buy Obamacare.

Barack Obama is no longer president. His successor, Donald Trump, has signed an executive order requiring the federal government to start dismantling Obama's signature health care legislation. And the fourth and likely final Open Enrollment period ends Tuesday at midnight.

That means Tuesday could be your last chance to buy an Affordable Health Care plan that, depending on your income level, could be discounted through federal tax credits and possibly include assistance for out-of-pocket costs.

About 1.67 million Florida residents had signed up or renewed their plans as of Jan. 14, the most recent tally provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. That number included 605,012 in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale media market and 186,341 in the West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce market.

As has been widely reported, Trump promised prior to his inauguration to roll out "great health care" that will be "much less expensive and much better."

The administration and the GOP-led Congress have yet to unveil the details of the upcoming plan -- which some are already calling "Trumpcare" -- but also have not cut off availability of the existing program nor the individual mandate that requires everyone to buy a plan or pay a tax penalty.

Two non-profit groups funded by the federal government to help South Florida consumers sign up for plans will still have navigators available to help guide consumers through Tuesday.

Consumers who need to speak with a navigator can go to www.coveringflorida.org or the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida's site, www.efof.org/acanavigation to find locations where navigators will be available Tuesday.

The federal government's official sign-up website, healthcare.gov, remains in operation, and consumers can also sign up through the websites of the insurance companies that sell Obamacare plans: Florida Blue, Molina, Humana, Ambetter.

Doug Bartel, spokesman for Florida Blue, the only insurer offering ACA plans in all 67 Florida counties, said the company is seeing a "large volume" of sign-ups through its retail, phone and online channels, even if the pace isn't as busy as last year. "We're literally not seeing people lined up out the doors like last year, but we are seeing heavy traffic," he said.

Jodi Ray, director of one of the navigator organizations, Florida Covering Kids & Families, based at the University of South Florida in Tampa, said her 143-member team of navigators plans to remain in place after the Open Enrollment period ends, helping enrollees understand their policies and signing up people who become eligible because of a life-changing event such as getting married, having a baby or losing a job.

Last year, Ray's organization was awarded $5.8 million in federal funds to provide services for the second year of a three-year funding cycle.

"Nothing changes after tomorrow," Ray said Monday. "I still keep going. And my entire team is still on the ground."

rhurtibise@sun-sentinel.com, 954-356-4071

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