If you missed the 2021 Open Enrollment period, you might think you’ve missed your chance to get zero-cost and low-cost health insurance. While December 15 marked the last official day that many Americans could enroll in plans via the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, don’t worry. You still have options for affordable health insurance – if your agent knows how to find them.

TrueCoverage Marketplace partners with over 600 major carriers to provide 50,000+ affordable health insurance solutions, in addition to life, dental, small business, and vision insurance, Medicare supplements, and ancillary insurance benefits. Open Enrollment is over for 2020, but we take the same approach to finding our clients the best options for health insurance and subsidies during the Special Enrollment Period. Read on to learn more about how TrueCoverage agents can help you find the best options for low-cost health insurance, during Special Enrollment and beyond.

How TrueCoverage Determines Your Affordable Health Insurance Options

There are various plans and health insurance subsidies that can make your healthcare more affordable. TrueCoverage has developed its own unique technology that compares all policies, from every vendor, targeted to our client’s zip code. So in just moments, we can provide you with all of the plans from every vendor. Then, we research your eligibility for every cost sharing reduction, insurance subsidy, and premium tax credit, so that you can find additional savings.

TrueCoverage is just one company using this technology. And in under 6 weeks we were able to find zero-cost health insurance for over 13,000 clients. By putting the TrueCoverage technology to good use, our agents were able to help more than 20,000 people pay less than $100 per month for their health insurance. So, if you think affordable health insurance isn’t a possibility for you, think again!

Below we’ve explained some of the different subsidies that TrueCoverage takes into account.

Cost Sharing Reductions

A cost sharing reduction reduces your out-of-pocket costs for services during your health insurance policy period, including copays, coinsurance, and deductibles. Your total out-of-pocket maximum could also be lower with a cost sharing reduction. TrueCoverage will help you know whether or not you qualify for these savings depending on your household income.

Premium Tax Credits

This health insurance subsidy lowers your monthly insurance premium. And great news – over 80% of people who enrolled in the Marketplace in 2019 had a premium tax credit. Whether you’re applying for plans during Open Enrollment or Special Enrollment, it’s important to remember that premium tax credits might also be available to you!

Supplemental Insurance

Medicare supplemental insurance is private insurance designed to fill the “Medigap,” or the parts of healthcare that aren’t covered by Medicare alone. If you receive Medicare, TrueCoverage can match you with supplemental insurance policies to help lower the cost of your copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.

We’re also your one-stop-shop for other kinds of supplemental insurance, including dental, vision, life, cancer, and disability insurance, and more!

What is Special Enrollment?

Many people don’t realize that December 15 is not the last day they can access plans in the Marketplace. If you or anyone in your household has experienced certain life events in the past 60 days, then you could qualify for Special Enrollment.

These life events include:

• Marriage
• Having a baby, adopting a child, or placing a child for foster care
• Losing health insurance due to a divorce or separation
• Losing health insurance due to the death of someone on your Marketplace plan
• Becoming a United States citizen
• Leaving incarceration
• Starting or ending service as an AmeriCorps State and National, VISTA, or NCCC member
• Gaining membership in a federally recognized tribe or as an Alaskan Native

Different types of changes in residence can also qualify you for Special Enrollment, including:

• Moving to a new ZIP code
• Moving to the United States from a foreign country or territory
• Moving to or from the location of your school, as a student
• Moving for a job as a seasonal worker
• Moving to or from a shelter or transitional housing

If you’ve lost your own health insurance policy, your coverage through a family member, or your eligibility for Medicaid, Medicare, or CHIP, you could also qualify for the Special Enrollment period.

Finally, if you qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, you can apply for affordable health insurance through these programs at any time.

As you can see, there are many different avenues for accessing low-cost health insurance, even after the Open Enrollment period has ended, and our agents will help you find them. You’ll just have to provide documentation to support that you’ve experienced one of these life changes.

Special Enrollment and COVID-19

It’s no secret that 2020 has been a difficult year. Luckily, the government has taken that into consideration when processing Special Enrollment applications this year.

If you experienced one of the listed life events more than 60 days ago, but since January 1, 2020, you could still qualify! Because FEMA declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency, there is currently greater flexibility in the timeline for applying for Special Enrollment.

Short-Term Insurance

If you find yourself in the unfortunate scenario of having missed Open Enrollment, but you don’t qualify for Special Enrollment, never fear. You still might be able to access affordable health insurance via a short-term medical plan. These are available in 40 states, and while they don’t qualify for premium tax subsidies, they can be more affordable than other plans. These aren’t regulated by the Affordable Care Act, so coverage on short term plans can vary. Call TrueCoverage and we’ll help determine which affordable short-term insurance plan is right for you.

Conclusion

TrueCoverage delivers affordable health insurance by partnering with 600+ top insurance companies. Specializing in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), we offer the widest choice of plans, making it easy to get you the BEST health coverage at the lowest rates. Our team even takes the time to ensure that you receive every premium tax credit and health insurance subsidy available, and our unique technology is the best way for agents to ensure that every client is getting the most affordable healthcare possible.

If you’re looking to get started with an affordable healthcare plan after the Open Enrollment deadline, reach out to our insurance experts. The TrueCoverage customer service team is ready to help!

Keywords

• Affordable Health Insurance
• Low-Cost Health Insurance
• Cost sharing reduction
• Premium Tax Credit
• Health Insurance Subsidy
• Supplemental Insurance