Today begins a special three month enrollment period for consumers to obtain health insurance through the federal marketplace. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid determined that the COVID-19 emergency presents exceptional circumstances in accessing health insurance and provides the special enrollment period through May 15th.
Consumers who are eligible to apply and enroll are in three dozen states served by the federal marketplace who use the website health care dot gov. For those without internet, the Marketplace call center can be called at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325).
After consumers submit their application, they will have 30 days to choose a health insurance plan. Current enrollees can change, if they want to, to any available plan in their area without restriction to the same level of coverage as they currently have.
Assistance also is available from a Navigator with the Northeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging. The office is in Kirksville. Green Hills area counties the Navigator can assist include alphabetically: Grundy, Linn, Livingston, Mercer, Putnam, and Sullivan. There are five others located in northeast Missouri including Macon and Adair. Navigator assistance includes helping persons with enrollment options and finding the choices for health insurance plans.
Consumers will not need to provide documentation of a qualifying event such as loss of a job or birth of a child. Such information is typically required for marketplace eligibility.
