Open enrollment ‘less chaotic’ this year
"Plans are not that different this year," said
"It's been a lot less chaotic this year," she said.
But everyone's circumstances are unique so consumers need to do their homework before selecting their health insurance plan for 2019, said health insurance agents, counselors and health care providers.
Open enrollment for people buying health insurance for 2019 using the online marketplace, also known as the exchange, began
It's also the time of year when people who get health insurance through their employer are reviewing their options for next year.
A plan analysis by
"Overall, marketplace plans this year are 3 percent cheaper ... which is great for people concerned about the cost of health care," said
Tucker is the outreach, enrollment and financial intake worker at
The DOI analysis found that rates for the cheapest bronze plans increased about 6 percent, less than the average 20 percent increase in rates last year.
Help is available
Open enrollment for people buying health insurance for 2019 using the online marketplace continues through
* Go to getcovered.illinois.gov or healthcare.gov, or call 866-311-1119.
* Contact a local, licensed health insurance agent directly or go to healthcare.gov, type in your zip code and find a list of licensed health insurance agents in your area.
* Call the certified application counselor at
* Attend an
Rates for lowest-cost silver plans decreased 4 percent overall while rates for lowest-cost gold plans decreased about 6 percent from last year, the department reported. Metal categories reflect how consumers share costs.
In addition, a new insurer entered the online marketplace and no insurers left the exchange, meaning there are five insurers on the exchange. But not every insurer operates in every county.
For the first time since the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) became law, Illinoisans will not face a tax penalty for not having health insurance starting in plan year 2019 for taxes paid in 2020. While the penalty is going away, the insurance mandate is not.
"Some people are talking about Trumpcare but there's no such thing," Deaton said. "It's the Affordable Care Act, it's still in place and the individual mandate is not going away."
While many people in
But even people with employer-provided plans should analyze them rather than automatically enrolling or re-enrolling, Deaton said.
"Because it's offered (through your employer) doesn't mean it's the best for that person," Deaton said. "I talk to people all the time and they think they have to buy it through their employer and they don't."
"If you are paying more than 9.86 percent of your adjusted gross income in premiums, that is deemed unaffordable and you can look for insurance on the exchange," Deaton said.
Deaton recommends talking with a licensed health insurance agent rather than navigating the website on your own.
But, whether you are working with agent like Deaton, a counselor like Tucker or navigating the website on your own, consumers need to look at more than premiums and deductibles.
"You've got to make sure your medicine is covered, you've got to make sure your pre-existing conditions are covered the way you want them to be covered, you've got to make sure your doctor is in network," Deaton said.
Tucker added that people who see specialists also need to make sure that they're covered.
"Do you need to see the optometrist or the dentist first, because most marketplace plans don't cover both," Romagnoli said.
Overall in
While the deadline for people to enroll in a plan for next year on the exchange is
Consumers may make changes at healthcare.gov or by contacting an agent like Deaton or a counselor like Tucker.
In addition, people eligible for Medicaid may sign up at any time.
Since he began his job at Chestnut on
"My advice to people is to not wait in selecting a plan," Tucker said.
Romagnoli agreed. The clinic, which treats 1,034 patients with chronic diseases, experienced a dip in patients in 2014 when the expanded Medicaid and online marketplace opened and more people got insurance coverage. But they were quickly replaced by patients who lost their jobs and health care coverage and then purchased low-premium, high-deductible insurance that they could afford.
"We do a lot of gap-filling," Romagnoli said.
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