Regardless of your political stance, no one can deny that healthcare in the United States is one of the most confusing topics in our political atmosphere. However, if you do qualify for the Affordable Care Act, 2018 enrollment is currently open.
The enrollment period is: November 1st- December 15th of 2017.
Some changes to the ACA in 2018:
- In late spring this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the double redirect had been eliminated for 2018.
- If you are one of the many consumers who canceled your marketplace insurance policy last year, you could face a penalty from the insurance company if you try to re-enroll through the marketplace this year. This could occur even if you obtained insurance through an employer or other method but failed to notify the marketplace insurance company of your new coverage and simply let your policy lapse due to non-payment.
- an effort to cut down on fraud, the government is requiring anyone enrolling outside of open enrollment to provide supporting documentation that indicates why they should be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).
- There will be fewer options in 2018 than there were in 2017.
- A new rule in 2018 allows insurance companies more flexibility in determining actuarial values. Silver, gold and platinum plans can have a variation of 4 percent below or 2 percent above their percentage standard, while bronze plans can have a variation of 4 percent below or 5 percent above 60 percent. This means that a silver plan could have an actuarial value of between 66 and 72 percent rather than a set actuarial value. The only exception is the benchmark plan used to determine subsidies for those who qualify. Currently, that is the second lowest-cost silver plan.
