Cohen: Memphians Can Now Review Affordable Insurance Options at HealthCare.gov

[MEMPHIS, TN] – Memphians can now visit the HealthCare.gov insurance marketplace to review plan options, premiums, and deductibles, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced today. Using the newly-streamlined window-shopping feature at HealthCare.gov, Ninth District consumers can answer three simple questions—income, household member age(s), and ZIP code—to view all of the affordable health insurance plans available to them, as well as each plan’s out-of-pocket costs after any applicable tax credits are taken into account. This new feature will enable the citizens of Memphis to get a head start on their plan selection so that they are ready to enroll in the plan that is best for them when the HealthCare.gov open enrollment period begins on Saturday.

“Thanks to President Obama’s landmark healthcare reform law, our uninsured rate has plummeted by 10%, almost 15,000 Memphians who did not have insurance coverage before health care reform now do, more than 200,000 now have insurance that covers preventive care, and no one can be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition anymore,” said Congressman Cohen. “The Affordable Care Act is already working for thousands of Ninth District families, and HealthCare.gov’s new window-shopping feature will help Memphians see if there is an even better deal available. Whether they already have insurance or not, everyone should visit HealthCare.gov to make sure their plan keeps the most money in their pockets and to ensure they receive their full tax credit in 2015.”

This year’s enrollment period runs for three months from November 15^th to February 15^th, but December 15^th, 2014 is the deadline to enroll in coverage that will take effect on January 1^st, 2015. While those who enrolled in plans through the Marketplace last year do not need to re-enroll to maintain coverage for 2015, all citizens whether or not they have previously enrolled are strongly encouraged to visit the newly-redeveloped, more stable, and easier-to-use HealthCare.gov website to ensure they receive the full tax credit to which they are entitled and to review their options as cheaper insurance plans may be available this year.

A new one-page guide to navigating and enrolling through the HealthCare.gov marketplace is available here. Memphis area citizens can visit this page to determine if they qualify for lower insurance costs in the coming year and can sign up to receive email updates or text messages regarding plan availability, pricing, and enrollment deadlines here. Consumers are also now able to view health insurance plans available in their area without registering, logging in, or identifying themselves.

An estimated 70% of first-time applicants—those with uncomplicated household scenarios—will be able to use a simpler, 3-page form to enroll in coverage for the coming year, down from 21 pages required to enroll last year. Those with more complicated household and tax scenarios will still be able to use the traditional Marketplace application process, which has been improved and no longer requires users to restart the entire application to fix a single mistake.