10 Jan 2014

Accessing your new insurance.

Accessing Your Health Insurance Marketplace Coverage

With the start of the New Year, millions of Americans will have access to health coverage for the first time or have improved coverage, due to the Affordable Care Act.   Here’s how to start accessing your coverage.

Depending on your insurer, coverage may have been effective January 1st.   Contact your insurer if:

  •  you enrolled and have not received your insurance card and welcome packet
  •  you have not paid your first premium (payment methods vary by insurer) 
  •  you need to see a doctor or get a prescription

You can find your insurer’s contact information on their website.  If you do not have access to the internet or need assistance with this process you can contact the Marketplace Call Center 24 hours a day 7 days a week at 1-800-318-2596 and they can still help.  Local assistance is also available.  The Marketplace Navigator for Stillwater County is Sharon Diane at Stillwater Billings Clinic, 322-1017.  

Did you experience problems with the Marketplace systems that prevented you from completing your enrollment?  You may qualify for a special enrollment period, allowing you to obtain coverage as soon as possible.

If you are still uninsured, remember there are three ways for you to obtain coverage. 

  1. Enroll online (many system kinks and processes have been corrected) 
  2. Enroll by phone at 1-800-318-2596
  3. Get help  with an in-person assistant(Marketplace Navigator)

You will have the opportunity to compare plans and choose the one that fits your family and budget.  Like many people signing up for coverage through the Marketplace, you may qualify for financial assistance that lowers the cost of your health plan.

If you were a family that had been turned down in the past for Healthy Montana Kids Plus (Medicaid) or Healthy Montana Kids (CHIP), you may now be able  to access coverage as some determinations and income levels may have changed.  These free or low-cost health insurance programs for kids 18 years or younger include doctor and dentist visits, vision and hearing care, hospital care, mental health services, regular check-ups, shots and prescription drugs. 

Generally, a family of four with an income up to $47,100 a year can get their children coverage. The open enrollment period ends March 31, 2014, so you still have time to access coverage for yourself and your family.    

 

 

Stillwater Billings Clinic - Caring for Our Community