KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The first deadline to enroll in health insurance through the federal marketplace is Dec. 15.
Enrolling in a plan by Dec. 15 ensures you’ll have coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2024. But open enrollment officially ends Jan.17, 2024.
This applies to insurance plans through what is commonly nicknamed “Obamacare.”
Federal leaders said enrollees should notice lower prices for coverage this year. The American Rescue Plan of 2021 expanded who is eligible for subsidies from the government to help pay insurance premiums.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 keeps those expanded eligibility criteria in place through 2025.
Every Republican in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives voted against both acts, calling them “spending sprees.” Every Democrat in the chambers, except for one representative from Maine, voted in support of both acts.
Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids — a Democrat representing Anderson, Franklin, Johnson, Miami and (part of) Wyandotte counties — said the average marketplace enrollee in her district should save $940 on premiums in 2024.
“I’m glad I get to do this job and have gotten to vote on a few pieces of legislation that will help bring down some of those costs,” Davids said.
A person’s exact savings depend on many factors like income, zip code, amount of coverage desired and whether they need coverage for specific prescriptions, among other options. Websites like healthinsurance.org can help you get an idea of what a marketplace plan will cost you.
“I’m very reassured and peaceful knowing that I can go to the doctor at any given time, go to the ER, go to urgent care,” said Gina Landry. “I don’t have an issue or worry at all.”
Landry, who’s self-employed, has used health insurance from the federal marketplace since 2016. She used the help of a navigator from Swope Health to help her find the best plan in 2024.
Landry said the subsidies she receives from the government help cover the majority of her premium costs.
“The premiums are very high, so they (subsidies) kick in on that end. It’s very helpful,” Landry said.
Swope Health, and many other clinics like KC Care Health Center and Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, offer navigator services free of charge. A navigator at Samuel U. Rodgers helped Chetty Dutt enroll in an affordable health plan.
“It’s really a great relief, and our kids were so eagerly waiting for us to have some insurance, so the stress of having some emergency situation without a hospital is no more a problem,” Dutt said.
Emily Dreher oversees a group of navigators at KC Care Health Center. She said the team gets questions about health insurance almost daily.
Her advice is to use a navigator to help you understand the terminology and all the options.
“On paper, it looks easy, but it’s not very easy,” Dreher said, describing how many people get overwhelmed during the enrollment process.
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