“We’ve only got a few weeks left. March 31st, that’s the last call.”
President Obama made this statement recently to a group of his supporters, and he’s referring to the approaching end of open enrollment for health insurance on the Marketplace. After March 31, individuals who remain uninsured will be charged a penalty unless they qualify for an exemption. Until the next open enrollment period in the fall, only people who have reason for a special enrollment period will be able to sign up on the Marketplace.
Those who enroll in March will join a reported 4 million others who have signed up for a private health insurance plan through the Federal and State-based Marketplaces so far, including more than 100,000 people who had signed up in North Carolina through the end of December (updated numbers should be out in mid-March). Eighty-nine percent of those NC consumers qualified for subsidies.
If you or someone you know has been waiting until this last month to enroll in a plan, there is still ample opportunity. You can access plans by filling out an application on HealthCare.gov, make a phone call to the federal call center at 1-800-318-2596, or make an appointment with a Navigator or CAC near you by calling 1-855-733-3711. You can also visit the Affordable Care Act page on our website for additional resources to help you understand the enrollment process.
