Getting Help During Obamacare Enrollment's Final Days
Open enrollment for subsidized marketplace insurance ends at 11:59 p.m. Monday. After that, applications will not be accepted for subsidized insurance for the rest of the year except in special circumstances.
Additional help:
SIGNING UP FOR SUBSIDIZED INSURANCE: Healthcare.gov does work, and it contains lots and lots of information. Or call 1-800-318-2596.
GET PERSONAL HELP!: There is no substitute for face-to-face assistance from people who are trained to help with applications, and they will be out in force at scheduled events in the final days. Among them (pardon any overlap):
. . . and South Jersey
Independence Blue Cross events (in Southeastern Pennsylvania)
Hundreds of local organizations have agreed to help but may or may not be available on Monday.
ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS: People with certain levels of income who buy a silver plan get automatic discounts on deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance that in some cases can exceed the premium subsidies. This graphic explains how it works.
TAX PENALTIES FOR NOT HAVING HEALTH INSURANCE: They are real, and bigger than many people think. Robert Calandra's story explains how they work, and gives phone numbers for local organizations that offer application help. The Tax Policy Center calculator can help figure out amounts.
MANY MANY MANY MANY MORE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Kaiser provides a lot of information, and its FAQs are searchable; you can also search the full federal website, or go to specific topics.
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