Life happens. You had good intentions, but for whatever reason you just never signed up for healthcare. Now, you’ve missed the Open Enrollment period and don’t know what to do. Or perhaps you signed up for healthcare, but now you’re finding that it is just too darn expensive to pay for each month and you may have to cancel. Sound familiar?
If this has happened to you, you’re not alone. Even with Georgia receiving an extended deadline of up to December 31 (due to the hurricane damage late last year that affected parts of the state), some people still missed the deadline and now they don’t have health insurance coverage.
Healthcare Options Available for Kennesaw Residents
Fortunately, there are still some option available that can help you get covered. Here are three that you can do right now.
Healthcare Option #1: Find Out if You Can Qualify for a Special Enrollment Period
A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) is an additional amount of time given to individuals who have recently experienced a qualifying life event or circumstance that affected their lives or ability to enroll during the normal Open Enrollment Period.
As an example, if you lost your job and the health coverage your employer offered because you were fired or laid off from work. You could also qualify if you:
- Changed residence
- Lost your insurance because of a divorce
- Because you are no longer eligible for coverage through Medicaid
If you find that you can qualify for the Special Enrollment Period, you will then have a period of up to 60 days after the occurring event for you to enroll in a plan.
Healthcare Option #2: Check to See Whether You Can Qualify for Medicaid or if You Can Appeal
In some cases, you may find that although you do not qualify for the Special Enrollment Period, you can qualify for Medicaid. If you are eligible for either of these programs, there is no waiting period and you can apply for these programs at any time.
If you feel that you should have qualified for insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace, but were denied coverage, you may have the right to appeal.
For example, the Marketplace failed to make a timely decision about your eligibility for healthcare insurance, or you believe you are eligible for the Special Enrollment Period, but were turned down.
Healthcare Option #3: Consider Purchasing Private Health Insurance
If you missed Open Enrollment, your appeal was turned down, that you feel Obamacare is too expensive, or you find that you can’t qualify for a SEP, Medicaid, you may think you’re out of options, but in reality, you still need some type of health insurance coverage for you and your family.
Think of it this way, an unexpected illness or injury isn’t just costly, it could actually put you and your family in financial risk.
A private health insurance policy could help you stay prepared for the worse and help protect your family. These types of policies typically cover the costs of emergency room visits and hospitalization if you have a catastrophic illness or accident.
Since these types of policies are not part of the ACA, you can purchase them at any time. The best part is many of these policies are about half the cost of ACA/Obamacare plans and are actually quite affordable.
If you live in Kennesaw and missed out on Open Enrollment, I am here to help. I would love to sit down with you and discuss your options. Email me today to schedule an appointment and let’s sit down and talk.