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This year’s Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period has been extended an additional 30 days, and now runs through January 15.
Thanks to pandemic relief efforts, consumers shopping for health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act could find cheaper premiums for next year.
The open enrollment period for consumers shopping for health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act continues through January 15, two weeks longer than previous years.
However, if you want coverage to begin on January 1, you must enroll by December 15.
Enrollments between December 15 and January 15 would start coverage on February 1.
This is the ninth annual open enrollment for the ACA plans, which are available for those without health insurance through a job, Medicare, Medicaid or other source.
This year, 12 million consumers signed up or were automatically re-enrolled in these plans. Enrollment for this year was up 5% from the previous year’s 11.4 million enrollees nationwide.
Additionally, another 2.8 million Americans signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act during a six-month special enrollment period earlier this year that President Joe Biden enacted to help people find coverage during the coronavirus pandemic.
Typically, consumers are only able to shop for a new plan outside of the yearly open enrollment period for 60 days after a “life event,” such as a marriage, divorce, new child, a move or employment change that results in a change to health coverage or loss of coverage.
To help communities with disproportionately high uninsurance rates, the Biden-Harris Administration has quadrupled its Navigator footprint of people who can assist with the process of getting covered. With 1500 Navigators, the Administration has made assistance available in nearly every county in the country.
“[A]nyone who needs health insurance can find an affordable option at HealthCare.gov,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The Biden-Harris Administration is investing in the most robust Open Enrollment campaign — with record-low prices, more choices and 30 more days to pick a plan than last season. Health care should be a right and in reach for everyone. This Open Enrollment season, we will get closer to achieving that goal.”
Through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Health and Human Services are concentrating its outreach on people who are most in need of care and who have historically lacked access. Additionally, marketing efforts will include content in many different languages. CMS has expanded its Spanish outreach and, for the first time, CMS will also conduct advertising in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Hindi.
“If you are in need of health care coverage, please go today to HealthCare.gov, where you will find health care coverage that is more affordable than ever,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “This Open Enrollment Period consumers will have access to more plan options, more help, for an even longer period of time to enroll. For families in need, that means experiencing the security of having comprehensive health insurance coverage for themselves and their loved ones.”
