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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Health
Insurance Open Enrollment Begins Sunday
Since 2013, more than 800,000 Ohioans have obtained insurance coverage
through the health law — many for the first time. And starting on
Sunday, November 1st, you can enroll in a new plan or change your
coverage on the health exchange.
It is clear that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is working. Because of
the health law:
Insurance companies can no longer increase your
premiums without justification, and they can no longer deny coverage if
you have a pre-existing condition, or place annual or lifetime caps on
your coverage;
You’re entitled to free preventive care in the form
of cancer screenings, vaccines, annual check-ups, well-woman visits,
and some prescription drugs;
More than 97,000 young Ohioans are able to stay on
their parents’ insurance until their 26th birthday — giving them the
chance to focus on their careers, education, or future plans;
All Americans have access to insurance coverage for
lifesaving clinical trials.
To improve the consumer shopping experience, healthcare.gov will
provide new features and resources for 2016 open enrollment. A new
Out-of-Pocket-Cost tool will help you better estimate the true costs of
your health insurance. In addition, new information has been added to
healthcare.gov so that you can easily lookup doctors and prescription
drugs covered under a plan while you are comparing your coverage
options.
Last year, 84 percent of Ohioans who purchased health insurance through
the marketplace received an average of $244 in tax credits to help them
pay for the cost of insurance. In fact, 41 percent of Ohioans were able
to obtain coverage for less than $100 a month.
You can get covered by visiting www.healthcare.gov. Beginning on
Sunday, November 1, 2015 and running through January 31, 2015, you can
sign up for health insurance coverage through a variety of ways:
Online – Visit Healthcare.gov to apply and enroll
through the internet.
Over the Phone – Call the Marketplace Call Center at
1-800-318-2596 with questions or to enroll over the phone.
In-Person – Visit LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov or call
the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 to get a list of people
in your community who are trained and certified to help you enroll in
person.
Paper Application – Call the Marketplace Call Center
at 1-800-318-2596 or download a paper application from Healthcare.gov
to fill out and send in.
Even if you were one of the 234,341 Ohioans who signed up for health
insurance through the Healthcare.gov exchange for 2015 coverage, you
still can visit the exchange to update your information and review your
options. Unless you renew your current health plan or choose a new
health plan through the exchange, you may be automatically re-enrolled
into the same plan. Returning to the marketplace to review your options
could save you hundreds of dollars.
Nearly 10 million Americans are now healthier and better protected
because they signed up for insurance through last year’s marketplace.
However, many uninsured Ohioans have failed to sign up for health
insurance coverage under the health law. Health insurance coverage
protects individuals and families against unexpected and costly health
care costs. Protect your health and your financial security by signing
up today.
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