ACA Open Enrollment Closes Soon

The window is quickly closing for Americans to sign up for medical coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance marketplace or to change their marketplace plan. Open enrollment ends on Dec.15 for most consumers.

Even though this is the sixth ACA open enrollment period, it appears that many people are not aware that open enrollment is happening now. A new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 69 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 didn’t know when this year’s sign-up period started and when it will end.

If you live in these six states or the District of Columbia, you will have a little more time to sign up for coverage or to change current plan:

• California — Jan. 15, 2019

• Colorado — Jan. 15, 2019
  

• District of Columbia — Jan. 31, 2019

• Massachusetts — Jan. 23, 2019

• Minnesota — Jan. 13, 2019

• New York — Jan. 31, 2019

• Rhode Island — Dec. 31, 2018 

Healthcare.gov, the marketplace website, can direct you to the right portal to use to enroll in a health insurance plan in your state or to modify your coverage. You can also use the website’s online calculator to help determine whether you qualify for a federal subsidy to help you afford your monthly premium and whether you are eligible for other assistance that defrays some of the costs of deductibles and copays.

If you are still deciding on a plan and have questions, there are a variety of resources available. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees the ACA, has a call center (800-318-2596) staffed with operators seven days a week, 24 hours a day. You can also click on local help to find experts in your area who can walk you through the enrollment process. 

More on the ACA

• Eleven things you need to know about affordable care act open enrollment
• ACA open enrollment: It’s time to choose