Open Enrollment for Obamacare Still Available for the Uninsured

Lee Edwards | As of Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Individuals who have yet to select a plan for their health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act for 2015 still have time to do so as the final deadline is Feb. 15, 2015. The Open Enrollment period for 2015 began on Nov. 15, 2014.
Individuals who have yet to select a plan for their health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act for 2015 still have time to do so as the final deadline is Feb. 15, 2015. The Open Enrollment period for 2015 began on Nov. 15, 2014.

As 2014 comes to a close, it’s still time to purchase a health care plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or change your current health care plan during this year’s Open Enrollment process before the final deadline on Feb. 15, 2015. The Open Enrollment period for 2015 began on Nov. 15, 2014.

The Open Enrollment period is the designated time in which someone can learn about health care options for themselves and their family and purchase a plan on HealthCare.gov, the official health care marketplace, without receiving a financial penalty. To be eligible to purchase health coverage through the ACA program, individuals must live in and be a citizen of the United States, a national or be lawfully present, and cannot be currently incarcerated according to HealthCare.gov. The final day to enroll in all 2014 plans is Dec. 31, 2014. New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2015, marks the first day of coverage for 2015 ACA marketplace plans.

The financial penalty for being uninsured is stiffer in 2015 than it was in 2014. According to HealthCare.gov, the 2015 penalty for not having the minimum essential coverage under the ACA is the greater of 2% of your yearly household income or $325 per adult and $162.50 per child under 18. In 2014 those penalties were 1% of your yearly household income and $95 per adult and $47.50 per child under 18.

In Illinois, during the first ever Open Enrollment period from Oct. 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014, 217,492 individuals selected a health insurance plan. In an effort to increase those numbers numerous health care providers both national and local have made educating the public and hosting enrollment events a priority.

“Our intent here is to do exactly what the Affordable Care Act intended to do for all consumers which is to help them save on their health care costs from when they initially buy our policy with United Health Care and then on each time they go to the doctor or to the hospital,” said Colleen Van Ham, President & CEO, United Healthcare. United HealthCare is one of the largest health care providers in the United States.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), African Americans are afflicted by a number of ailments at rates higher than non-Hispanic white Americans. The HHS noted, too, that by June 20141.7 million African Americans (ages 18-64) had obtained health insurance coverage since the initial open enrollment in Oct., 2013, a 6.8 percentage point drop in the uninsured rate over that period.

“In terms of reaching out to the African American community, we have a wide network of hospitals… so it would include Advocate Trinity, Mount Sinai, Laurie Children’s Hospital and Loyola University,” said Van Ham. “In terms of partnerships, we have partnered with the Gary Comer Youth Center [7200 S. Ingleside Ave.]. We will be working with them. We will be offering two enrollment events in January, Saturday, January 24, Saturday, January 31. We’re inviting the public to stop by and ask questions and learn about health plans that we’re offering.”

To learn more about the enrolling with a health care plan with the Affordable Care Act visit https://www.healthcare.gov/.

To learn more about the Affordable Care Act visit http://www.medicaid.gov/affordablecareact/affordable-care-act.html.

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