Health Insurance Marketplace, Open Enrollment Starts November 1

Posted by Carolyn Martin on October 26th, 2015 Posted in: Health Literacy, News From NNLM PNR

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November 1, 2015 is the first day to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace for 2016.  The enrollment deadline is January 31, 2016 otherwise the only way to qualify for insurance in 2016 is for a Special Enrollment Period.

According to Sylvia Burwell, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, in the five years since ACA was signed into law and the three years since Open Enrollment began in the Health Insurance Marketplace, about 17.6 million uninsured people have received health coverage.  The uninsured rate has dropped significantly for African Americans and Latinos.  According to ASPE Data Point, the number of uninsured has decreased primarily for three reasons, “…allowing young people up to age 26 to stay on their parents’ plans, the Medicaid expansion in 29 states plus DC, and the availability of affordable insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplaces.”  Despite these great gains, about 10.5 million uninsured Americans are still eligible for Marketplace coverage and almost half of those are between the ages of 18 and 34 while approximately one-third are people of color: approximately 19 percent are Hispanic, 14 percent are African American, and 2 percent are Asian American.  More needs to be done to continue to increase the number of Americans covered especially in under-served populations. Libraries, community organizations, and faith communities have an opportunity to join forces and reach out to get more people covered.

Libraries, especially public libraries play an important role by providing services and keeping their communities informed regarding the Health Insurance Marketplace.  PNR has updated the ACA (Affordable Care Act) webpage with resources and information.  Many libraries have already been involved since ACA became law. Please share how you have helped your community regarding ACA.