Obamacare 2018: Deadline close to sign up
New Jerseyans are signing up for health insurance through Obamacare at a faster pace than last year, figures show, even though many need to dig even deeper to pay for the plans.
The steady enrollment for 2018 is a sign that some consumers don't have the option to walk away if the price gets to be too high.
"I cannot afford to take a chance and not have health care," said
New Jerseyans who aren't covered through Medicare, Medicaid or their employer have until
The deadline comes as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, faces an uncertain future.
Watch the video above for more information about the enrollment period.
President
The Trump administration has never been a fan. It reduced the enrollment period to six weeks. It cut the marketing budget. It said it wouldn't enforce the mandate. And it stopped reimbursing health insurance companies that provided low-income consumers financial help with out-of-pocket costs.
At least some consumers haven't been deterred. Through the first five weeks of open enrollment, 104,142 New Jerseyans signed up compared with 80,152 the same period a year ago, up 30 percent, according to the
Total enrollment could fall short of last year's levels given the shorter enrollment period.
But insurer AmeriHealth New Jersey said calls to its sales office were up 150 percent on the first day of enrollment. And Fulfill, a nonprofit group formerly known as the FoodBank of
"Our message is simple: There's been a lot of debate on the national level on the future of health care, but health care is still available today," said
Consumers have another option. Oscar, an insurer that is trying to set itself apart from competitors by marketing its consumer-friendly technology and telemedicine options, returned to
Enrollment is in line with projections, and the company has begun to sell plans for small businesses that go into effect
"
Consumers, however, face sticker shock. About 80 percent of individuals buying health insurance in the Obamacare marketplace are eligible for subsidies to make premiums more affordable, but many of the plans have higher deductibles, said
And those with incomes too high to qualify for financial help have few good alternatives, Stark said.
"There are a lot of SOS's out there," Stark said.
Zonsa was in that category. She received a notice from
If it was another product -- soap, movie tickets, restaurants -- she could find another brand or walk away.
But her husband died of cancer so she knows the financial toll of an unexpected illness. And she is being treated for a form of lymphoma; she had few options but to search for a new plan.
Zonsa decided to switch to Horizon's Omnia plan, which left her with premiums of
Other obstacles loom.
"I really have to sock away money, and I don't spend on other things because I have to make sure I can take care of myself and my son," Zonsa said. "But I am scared if I get sick and go to the hospital, that's a heck of a lot of money to pay."
OBAMACARE HELP
Individuals needing to sign up for health insurance for 2018 can see their options at healthcare.gov.
Need help? Fulfill will host sessions at:
* The B.E.A.T. Center;
*
*
* Fulfill;
*
For more information, call 732-643-5888
___
(c)2017 the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.)
Visit the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) at www.app.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
New Research Finds Brits Believe Citizens, Not State, Should Pay for Retirement
Insurance Stocks’ Research Reports Released on Manulife Financial, American Equity Investment Life, AEGON, and MetLife
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News