Help available to enroll in Health Insurance Exchange
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News from St. Luke Community Healthcare
RONAN — Can I do it? Should I do it?
Those are questions Montanans are facing as important deadlines for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, loom on the horizon.
As it stands now, anyone wishing to have insurance coverage through the exchange beginning Jan. 1, 2014, will have to have enrolled by Dec. 15, 2013.
“Whether you agree with the Affordable Care Act or not, people need insurance,” said Debbie Kelsch, Director of Patient Financial Service at St. Luke Community Healthcare.
As Obamacare makes its bumpy debut, Kelsch and her staff in the business office at St. Luke are poised to help Mission Valley residents who don’t have insurance sign up on the new health insurance exchange. Three Certified Application Counselors are on hand to help guide people through the process, whether they choose to sign up on the website (healthcare.gov), via phone (800-318-2596), or fill out and mail in a seven-page paper application.
No matter how people decide to apply, Kelsch says they will need the following information at their fingertips:
• Expected modified, adjusted gross household income for 2014 (you can use 2013 tax returns, but be sure and estimate changes)
• Expected household size for 2014
• Any household members who are over 65 (the Affordable Care Act does not cover individuals who are eligible for Medicare)
• Whether you or any household member qualifies for employer-sponsored coverage, and if so: what’s the monthly cost per person; and does the plan meet the law’s minimum essential coverage requirements?
• Social Security number for all applicants
• Date of birth for all applicants
“If applicants have all the necessary information on hand, and can get through immediately on the 800 phone line, it takes about 25 or 30 minutes to complete the process,” Kelsch said.
She also noted that if “everything is status quo, it should go OK,” but if an individual or family expects significant changes in income or employment status, “you may need to provide more information.”
To aid in the process, St. Luke is hosting three health insurance fairs, from 3-7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, 20 and Dec. 5. Representatives of the three insurance companies participating in Montana’s Health Exchange will be on hand to assist and to answer questions. They are Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Pacific Source, and Montana Health Co-op. In addition, several local, independent insurance agents will be available to help participants decipher differences between various policies.
St. Luke also has a Health Exchange Helpline in place to help individuals understand their options. Callers can dial (406) 528-5467 to leave a name and number for a return call from a Certified Application Counselor.
Kelsch also added that her staff can enroll uninsured kids under 19 in the Healthy Montana Kids program at any time. “We can help them with that right away. You don’t have to wait until Jan. 1 to be eligible.”
In the case of an unexpected procedure or emergency, parents can fill out a short form, and receive “presumptive eligibility” for their child so that costs can be covered.
As Steve Todd, CEO of St. Luke Community Healthcare, points out, “If you don’t learn how the Affordable Care Act affects you, you won’t be able to take advantage of the advance tax credits that are available to you to help pay a significant portion of your health insurance costs. So it is important to learn what your options are.”
After all, ignoring the deadlines will not make them go away.
