Your health matters. This year, more than ever, it makes sense to have the right plan in place to meet whatever health issues may come at you. Whether you want to improve or maintain what you have, you need the right team behind you. But the apple-a-day strategy will not keep the doctor away alone. At KeenanDirect, we have the bench strength and resources to get you the information you need to stack your team for success.

Open Enrollment is Now

In California, the Open Enrollment period is November 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. However, coverage purchased after December 15, 2020 won’t begin until February 1, 2021 at the earliest. Outside California, the federal open enrollment ends December 15, 2020.

This past year, California implemented an individual mandate that required health coverage even though the federal mandate was basically eliminated. California residents are required to have health coverage in place, or they will incur a tax penalty. Yes, there are exemptions for individuals based on financial hardship or religious beliefs, as determined by the state’s healthcare exchange, Covered California. It includes the plan to offer subsidies to individuals and families with income at or below 600% of the federal poverty level in an effort to address health insurance affordability issues, as well as other affordability measures, such as additional premium assistance subsidies.

What happens during Open Enrollment?

The Open Enrollment period lets individuals:

• renew current individual or family health care plan;
• choose a new plan through the health exchange; or,
• purchase a qualified individual/family plan through a private insurer.

What if someone misses the Open Enrollment period?

Open enrollment is generally the only time that people can sign up for a plan, or switch to a different plan, unless they experience one of several qualifying events. A qualifying event triggers a special enrollment period to purchase health insurance outside of the regular annual open enrollment period.

Are premium subsidies still available?

Premium subsidies increase to keep pace with the cost of the benchmark plan each year and that will continue in 2021. If you buy health insurance from CoveredCalifornia exchange, whether you qualify for a premium tax credit is determined by your income relative to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). You don’t qualify for a premium tax credit if your income is above 400% of FPL.

Let us know how we can assist you and your family. Help for individuals through KeenanDirect is free and you can request a no-cost comparison of ACA plans in California.