A NEW WAY TO GET AFFORDABLE CARE OCTOBER 1, 2013
if you qualify for lower costs.
What is the Health Insurance Marketplace?
WWW.HEALTHCARE.GOV~~~READ~~~SIGN UP~~~IF YOU'RE IN NEED
The Marketplace is a new way to find quality health coverage. It can help if you don’t have coverage now or if you have it but want to look at other options.
With one Marketplace application, you can learn if you can get lower costs based on your income, compare your coverage options side-by-side, and enroll.
What you'll learn when you apply in the Health Insurance Marketplace
When you use the Health Insurance Marketplace, you'll fill out an application and see all the health plans available in your area. You'll provide some information about your household size and income to find out if you can get lower costs on your monthly premiums for private insurance plans. You'll learn if you qualify for lower out-of-pocket costs.
The Marketplace will also tell you if you qualify for free or low-cost coverage available through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Most Americans will be eligible to use the Marketplace. Learn more about Marketplace eligibility.
The Marketplace will offer several kinds of assistance to help you apply for coverage and choose a plan that meets your needs.
- online questions and answers
- online chat — available now
- a toll-free call center—available now
- people in your community trained to help you apply and enroll
What if I have job-based insurance?
If you have job-based health insurance you like, you can keep it. You're considered covered. You may be able to change to Marketplace coverage if you want to.
Any job-based health plan you currently have qualifies as minimum essential coverage. You don't need to change to a Marketplace plan in order to avoid the fee that uninsured people may have to pay for 2014. If you'd like to explore Marketplace coverage options you can, but there are several important things to consider.
How can I get lower costs on Marketplace coverage?
You can save money in the Health Insurance Marketplace 3 ways. All of them depend on your income and family size.
- You may be able to lower costs on your monthly premiums when you enroll in a private health insurance plan. These plans all cover essential health benefits and pre-existing conditions.
- You may qualify for lower out-of-pocket costs for copayments, coinsurance, anddeductibles.
- You or your child may get free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid or theChildren's Health Insurance Program CHIP. Some states will be expanding Medicaid eligibility in 2014, so you may qualify even if you have been turned down for Medicaid in the past.
What do small businesses need to know?
Small businesses may get health coverage in the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplace. No employers are required to offer health coverage.
Starting in 2014, businesses with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees can use SHOP to offer coverage to their employees. This applies to non-profit organizations as well. You control the coverage you offer and how much you pay toward premium costs.
Health coverage through SHOP starts as soon as January 1, 2014. Open enrollment begins October 1, 2013. You can sign up and begin offering coverage any time during the year.
You have health coverage rights
Starting in 2014, insurance plans:
- Can't turn you down based on the health status of your employees or their dependents, even if they have pre-existing conditions.
- Can't charge you higher premiums for women, or increase your group's premium for employees with high medical costs.
These rights do not apply to grandfathered plans.
Contact your State Department of Insurance to learn more about your rights.
You may qualify for tax credits if you offer coverage through SHOP
If you have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees making an average of about $50,000 a year or less, you may qualify for a small business health care tax credit.
- Starting in 2014, the tax credit is worth up to 50% of your contribution toward employee premium costs (up to 35% for tax-exempt employers). This will make the cost of providing health coverage lower.
- Beginning in 2014, the small business health care tax credit is available only if you get coverage through SHOP.YOU CAN FIND OUT ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ON THE WEBSITE/PROTECT YOUR HEALTH AND YOUR FAMILIES. SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING!
