Shopping For A Plan On The ACA Marketplace? Funding Cutbacks Mean Fewer Guides To Help
Covered California has begun its enrollment -- and other exchanges created by the federal health law are set to open Nov. 1. But in some areas, people may find selecting a plan more difficult this year without navigators. Meanwhile, people who get their insurance through their jobs are also often picking plans this time of year and have a number of important choices.
The Associated Press:
Shoppers May Face Hard Choices Again On Health Marketplaces
Insurance shoppers likely will have several choices for individual health coverage this fall. The bad news? There’s no guarantee they will cover certain doctors or prescriptions. Health insurers have stopped fleeing the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces and they’ve toned down premium hikes that gouged consumers in recent years. Some are even dropping prices for 2019. But the market will still be far from ideal for many customers when open enrollment starts Thursday. (Murphy, 10/28)
The New York Times:
Shopping For Insurance? Don’t Expect Much Help Navigating Plans
When the annual open enrollment period begins in a few days, consumers across the country will have more choices under the Affordable Care Act, but fewer sources of unbiased advice and assistance to guide them through the labyrinth of health insurance. The Trump administration has opened the door to aggressive marketing of short-term insurance plans, which are not required to cover pre-existing medical conditions. Insurers are entering or returning to the Affordable Care Act marketplace, expanding their service areas and offering new products. But the budget for the insurance counselors known as navigators has been cut more than 80 percent, and in nearly one-third of the 2,400 counties served by HealthCare.gov, no navigators have been funded by the federal government. (Pear, 10/27)
USA Today:
Insurance Open Enrollment 2019: How To Choose The Right Plan, Benefits
Every fall, open enrollment season means complicated forms to read and big decisions to make about insurance and other benefits offered at your job. You may find the process a headache, but taking the time to evaluate your choices could save you thousands of dollars. Three out of five (60 percent) workers say their employer offers an open enrollment period for benefits, according to a recent Nationwide Financial consumer survey. Workers typically can switch health care plans, add disability or life insurance, or sign up for other benefits. (Herron, 10/29)
And the troubles people over 65 can face if they miss the first window to sign up for Medicare Part B —
The New York Times:
Why You Shouldn’t Wait To Sign Up For Medicare Part B
[George Zeppenfeldt-Cestero] should have signed up for Medicare Part B three years earlier when he turned 65. By delaying, he had missed the best window — the so-called Initial Enrollment Period — to apply for Part B, which covers much of what we consider health care: doctor visits, tests, injectable drugs (including chemotherapy), ambulances, physical therapy and other non-hospital services. As a result, he has to pay permanently higher premiums, and he had to endure an unsettlingly long period — from December to July — before the coverage actually kicked in. (Span, 10/26)