Open enrollment for insurance plans through the federal marketplace starts Saturday, Nov. 15. Organizations dedicated to helping people get covered are tailoring outreach based on lessons learned from last year.
The second open enrollment period is three months, half the time of the first enrollment period. And for those who don’t get insurance this time, the penalty increases. Matt Golab is with Enroll America, an outreach and information organization. He said efforts this year are focused on streamlining the process and in-person assistance.
“So what we want to do is make the enrollment process more condensed and put it even more closely in their hands," Golab said. "And say we can sign you up for an appointment with one of our great assistors, they’ll walk you through the whole process in plain and simple language.”
According to Health and Human Services, 77 percent of people who applied for insurance in Arizona with the federal marketplace qualified for financial assistance.
Last week, the Supreme Court announced it will hear a case challenging federal tax credits to residents in states that don’t operate their own exchanges. Golab said this case won’t affect financial assistance this open enrollment period.
