Questions about health insurance coverage?

Thinking about health insurance coverage can be hard. This year, states are returning to the pre-pandemic guidelines and requirements for eligibility, and many people may find themselves without coverage and confused. The goal of this article is to provide you with basic information to help you start the process of thinking about health insurance coverage for you and your loved ones.

Because of the pandemic, the federal government allowed Pennsylvania to continue Medicaid (also known as medical assistance or MA) and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage for most people, even if they were not eligible. This policy ended in March of this year.

Since April of this year, letters and communication about renewal deadlines have been sent out. If participants do not complete renewal by the due date, the state health coverage will end. You will still have up to 90 days after your Medicaid coverage ends to renew, and if you are still eligible, your coverage will reopen with no gap in coverage.

Make sure your information is up to date. If you have a COMPASS account, you can check your renewal date and complete your renewal online. You can also sign up for emails and texts.

There are several options available to complete your renewal:

1. You can complete the forms that were sent to you by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and mail them back in the envelope included in your renewal packet.

2. You can drop your completed forms off at the Adams County Assistance Office, located at 225 S. Franklin St. P.O. Box 4446 Gettysburg, PA 17325

3. You can complete them on the COMPASS website at http://www.compass.state.pa.us.

4) You can complete your renewal by phone at 1-866-550-4355.

If you are no longer eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, check if you can get coverage through your employer. The timeline to sign up varies from employer to employer. Check with your human resources office about options. You can also go to the health insurance marketplace in Pennsylvania at http://www.pennie.com. Open enrollment is from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15. They can be contacted by phone 1-844-844-8040. For Medicare, visit http://www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-633-4227. The timeline to select your plan is Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.

Take the time to review the options. Lastly, please be aware that when you search for information on this topic online, your search engine may not filter reliable websites. It is imperative you check to make sure you are on the official site for the program you are researching.