Kathleen Sebelius has written a very interesting post on HealthCare.Gov today. It is titled “Countdown to Affordable Health Insurance”. It gives exciting details about the upcoming health insurance exchanges, and how to access them. Some of you might be able to get help with the cost of coverage right now!
Kathleen Sebelius is the Secretary of Health and Human Services. You have probably heard her name mentioned quite a lot in regards to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (which is also called Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare”). Right now, you can go to HealthCare.Gov to read her post about how excited she is about the health insurance exchanges, which are close to being ready.
This month, January of 2013, starts a Countdown to Affordable Health Insurance. The countdown will end on October 1, 2013, when open enrollment begins through the health insurance exchanges. Then, another countdown will begin to January 1, 2014, when the insurance coverage purchased through the exchanges will take affect.
Here is a quick look important and helpful things to know:
* Many people will be able to shop for health insurance through the new Marketplace at HealthCare.Gov The website has been newly rebuilt.
* HealthCare.Gov is where to go to buy insurance from qualified private health plans. You can also go there to check to see if you are eligible for financial assistance. It all happens through one website, and through one application. The process is streamlined, which should make things very efficient.
* You can use HealthCare.Gov to find out if you are eligible for a tax credit that will help lower the cost of your health insurance premiums.
* People who live in states that will have a federally run health insurance exchange will be able to go to HealthCare.Gov to access that exchange.
* People who live in states that have a state-based exchange can start at HealthCare.Gov. It will help you to get to the “right place” – the official website for your state’s health insurance exchange.
* It appears that the phrase “health insurance exchange” is equivalent to “Marketplace”, (which is used in the blog post).
The blog post also notes:
The Marketplace will offer much more than any health insurance website you’ve used before. Insurers will compete for your business on a level playing field, with no hidden costs or misleading fine print.
Image by United States Mission Geneva on Flickr