The door to health insurance has just opened wide once again for uninsured Americans, and the U-M Health System stands ready to help them enroll and get the care they need.
With the start of the Affordable Care Act’s Open Enrollment period Saturday, U-M counselors are ready to assist anyone who needs to enroll in a health plan for the first time, or explore their options if they already have one. The help is free.
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And when a wide range of new ACA insurance plans start offering coverage on Jan. 1, UMHS will accept most of them for care. UMHS already accepts 131 ACA plans directly, and members of other plans can come to UMHS for highly advanced care.
The start of Open Enrollment means that uninsured people who haven’t yet enrolled in insurance plans for themselves and their families can sign up. Also, those who already have an ACA plan can re-enroll, switch to a new one, or update their personal information to see if they qualify for subsidies and tax credits to lower their costs.
All who act by Dec. 15 will be covered for care starting in January.
The enrollment window for choosing one of these plans offered by private insurance companies closes Feb. 15. Those who miss the chance to enroll will likely have to pay penalties on their 2015 income taxes — in addition to any penalties they might have to pay for not having insurance in 2014.
At the same time, Michiganders who have household incomes near or below the poverty level can enroll at any time in the Healthy Michigan Plan, the state’s expanded Medicaid program. Nearly 470,000 residents have already enrolled.
The trained counselors who work at UMHS have a year’s worth of experience in enrolling individuals and families in ACA plans and the Healthy Michigan Plan, and navigating the enrollment website, healthcare.gov.
Any Michigander, no matter whether they have been a patient at UMHS or not, may call UMHS Patient Financial Counselors at 877-326-9155 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday-Friday, or email them at PFC-Counselors@med.umich.edu. There are also walk-in stations at several locations on the U-M medical campus.
The UMHS Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools also has several trained counselors available to offer by-appointment help. Call 734-998-5795 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, or email UMHS-RAHS@umich.edu.
