Take a Moment. Be Aware.
Open Enrollment Begins Nov. 15

November 13, 2014

Pennsylvania respiratory therapist and AARC member Bette Gray has run a free clinic for over 7 years and wants to remind all respiratory therapists to be aware of individuals who might benefit from the open enrollment period that is running from Nov. 15 - Feb. 15.

People who need insurance must sign up between those dates. The Government’s main webpage will provide you with all the needed information including how to sign up for insurance.

Health Marketplaces

There might be some confusion regarding state and federal health marketplaces and whether that impacts where to sign up for health insurance under the ACA. Regardless whether your state is running its own health marketplace, your state has given that task to the federal government, or there is some combination of the two signing up for health insurance under the ACA is always done on one site: www.healthcare.gov

If you are asked about the difference between a state run or federally run exchange the simplest explanation was provided by a Kaiser Family Foundation response.

Differences between federal and state exchanges are likely to be subtle, but important to some consumers.

States that establish their own exchanges, for example, can decide which insurers participate and whether to require benefits beyond those set under federal law. They can accept all insurers whose policies meet the law’s requirements, for instance, or limit participation by requiring that insurers meet specific quality or pricing guidelines.

For more in depth and detailed information on state health insurance exchanges, 2015 changes the 2015 ACA insurance coverage and policies go to the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation website