Source: One News Now
Open enrollment opens officially on November 15 (Saturday) and closes in mid-February – a smaller window compared to the previous enrollment period. Meanwhile, those who signed up for insurance in the previous enrollment period will have to renew or choose a different plan. Devon Herrick, senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, explains.
“Your coverage officially ends as of the end of December,” he states. “So if you had to wait in line and call at 3:00 in the morning and had to go through all kinds of problems last year and you thought that were you through?
“Well, no, you have to make a decision all over again this year and go back online and pick which insurance meets your needs or your family’s needs.”
Whatever the case may be, the federal exchange (Healthcare.gov) is the website being used for enrollment in about half the states. Over the summer, the government reported the site was hacked, but the Obama administration now says security upgrades have since been made.
On a side note, a penalty – or a “fee,” as the government calls it – will be assessed for anyone not purchasing health insurance. Those who went without health insurance this year may be hit with that when they file taxes in 2015. The same goes for 2016 when a person or family files taxes for the previous year.