The Open Enrollment Period is now over. For most people, the last day to enroll in a healthcare plan was on February 15, 2015. After this date, you can enroll in a healthcare plan only if you have a life event that qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). The team at Balanced Care can help you enroll in a health plan outside of the Open Enrollment Period if you have a life event such as:
- Getting married
- Having a baby
- Adopting a child
- Losing other health insurance coverage
- Permanently moving outside your plan’s coverage area
- Gaining citizenship or lawful presence in the United States
- Having a change in income or household status
A Special Enrollment Period is also available from March 15, 2015 to April 30, 2015 for qualified individuals to enroll in a healthcare plan and avoid penalties for 2015. Much to millions of tax payer’s surprise, they now owe up to 1% of their income as a penalty for not having a qualified health insurance plan in place for 2014. While it is too late to avoid the penalty for 2014, you do have an opportunity to avoid a penalty for 2015 using this SEP. This is especially important as the penalty for not having a qualified health insurance plan in 2015 increases to $325 per adult or 2% of their income (whichever is greater). Children up to the age of 18 can also be penalized up to $162.50 per year. To use this SEP, the following requirements must be met:
- You owe a penalty for not having health insurance in 2014
- You are not enrolled in a health plan for 2015
- You didn’t realize until after the Open Enrollment Period that the health care law required you and your household to have health coverage or didn’t understand the implications of not having health insurance
The next Open Enrollment Period will start on November 1, 2015 and end on January 31, 2016. As a licensed insurance broker and an agent certified to offer health insurance plans through the Federal Marketplace (Healthcare.gov), I can help you determine if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period now. The team at Balanced Care is contracted with every insurance carrier in the states of New Hampshire and Maine and can help you understand your health insurance options, calculate if you qualify for a subsidy which can help reduce premiums and cost sharing for the plan, and help you enroll in a plan so you are not subject to a penalty at the end of 2015.
Terri Trepanier is the owner of Balanced Care Health and Supplemental Insurance and a licensed broker in Maine and New Hampshire. Her specialty is working with small businesses, individuals, and families with their health and life insurance needs. She is certified to offer health plans both on and off the exchange and is contracted with every health insurance company that offers plans in both New Hampshire and Maine. Her other passion is assisting Medicare beneficiaries with their Medicare Supplemental, Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans, and Medicare Advantage plans. Terri has seen firsthand the importance of insurance products and how they help families. Her goal with Balanced Care is to “Insure Security and Peace of Mind One Family at a Time”.