The Pima County Health Department in collaboration with community partners would like to remind members of the community that if they want health insurance coverage to begin January 1, 2014 their application must be complete by Dec. 23.
Three groups in particular are advised to take special note to prevent gaps in coverage:
- Parents whose children are enrolled in the Kids Care II program, which provides insurance for children in households with incomes slighty higher than allowed under previous AHCCCS eligibility. The program has been extended until the end of January 2014, and those families may now qualify for AHCCCS under new expanded coverage or will need to sign up for health insurance through the Marketplace. It is important to sign up soon to ensure continued coverage.
- Folks who are receiving health benefits through the federally funded Pre-existing Conditions Insurance Program will need to sign up for health insurance through AHCCCS or the Marketplace. Benefits for this program have been extended through January 2014. Eligible enrollees can purchase transitional coverage by sending in a January premium payment, which will be the same monthly rate that they paid for December 2013.
- Those who started the enrollment process and want their health benefits to begin in January 2014 need to complete their application by Dec. 23 to ensure coverage begins January 2014. The Department of Health and Human Services recently indicated that while 1.9 million Americans have enrolled in the system, many have not yet selected a plan and completed their application.
Those who haven’t enrolled in the Marketplace may complete an application and enroll any time through March 2014.
There are many questions about how to enroll. Local help is available from partners including the United Way, Pima Community Access Program (PCAP), St. Elizabeth’s Health Center and the Tucson Urban League.
Please visit
www.pima.gov/aca for more information.