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Obamacare is a term and phrase you are seeing all over news headlines these days. Social
media feeds carry messages and we are exposed to a frenzy of opinions. There is much to
discover about Obamacare and what Obamacare means for you.
Obamacare is also known as the Affordable Care Act. Some people even have wondered what
the difference is. The truth is, the terms Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are
interchangeable; they are the same thing.
This video will walk you through some information about Obamacare and health insurance coverage.
Obaracare has established a mandate of heath insurance coverage for all citizens.
If you have full-time employment you might already have access to insurance. Your company
may offer you health insurance.
If you have Part time employment, there is a chance you can access health insurance through
your place of employment.
If you are a contractor or work jobs on a regular or irregular basis and you are not
covered by a current health insurance plan, you are the group of people that need to look
into health insurance options.
The deadline to apply for this Enrollment Period, is March 31, 2014. This deadline is
quickly approaching.
There is good news. Obamacare (the term we will use for the remainder of this video for
consistency of language purposes) also has changed a major component of what previously
was an issue for some people. If you currently have a Pre-Existing Condition, for example
cancer or diabetes, in the past this could have resulted in a health insurance company
refusing you coverage. But the passing of Obamacare has eliminated that refusal option
for the health insurance companies. Now all health insurance companies are not allowed
to screen you as a health "risk" before offering insurance.
There are 4 different ways to get health insurance.
1) Being covered under your work insurance plan
2) Buying coverage from an Agent or Broker who sells insurance
3) Buying insurance through eInsurance -- an Online Insurance Quote Comparison Market
4) the Marketplace
The first option we mentioned, getting covered through your work plan. You can inquire at
your work about a health insurance plan they offer. You can ask your HR representative
or your manager about coverage. If your place of work employs more than 50 employees, then
they are required by law to offer you coverage. If your place of work has less than 50 employees
there are other options for you.
Insurance Brokers are also known as Insurance agents and they sell health insurance privately
as their business. You can discuss quotes and options with brokers about your options
and costs.
You can also go online and browse an Online Insurance Quote Comparison Market
at eInsurance.com. After submitting basic demographic information you will be able to
browse different plans, coverage options for different plans, costs for different plans
and other information about many different health insurance companies.
Finally, the Marketplace is an option and portal to purchase health insurance. The Marketplace
is the online market that the federal government is managing at healthcare.gov.
Those are currently the four most common and publicly known options. Feel free to explore
any of those options to find the right health care coverage for you.
Now we will focus in on the healthcare.gov site and how to navigate through the Marketplace.
[image description: there is a large orange icon that has "APPLY NOW for health insurance"
and a small logo of a clip board with a check mark at the bottom. There is an inserted caption
that says "APPLY NOW". Also slightly cut off of the screen is a smaller blue icon with
an icon of a person head and torso with a speech bubble, that reads SEE STORIES share
and connect". These icons are clickable]
[image description: the healthcare.gov website and there is a soft image of the United State
of America and the page reads "Welcome to the marketplace, Pick your state to create
a Marketplace Account and start an application for health coverage. your last chance to enroll
for 2014 coverage is March 31] When you get to the healthcare.gov website,
you will need to create an account. Be sure to make sure you create a password that is
complex and will protect your account. Once you have created your account and password
and you are officially logged in to healthcare.gov, now you will start the actual application
process.
To apply, you will need to be sure you have specific documentation ready. Your name must
be spelled exactly as it is on on your social security card. All W-2 forms or other income
information for everyone in your household who you want to get coverage for. If you have
any other health insurance coverage that you have or other people in your household have.
This is important information to submit on your application so the government can do
their due diligence in making sure you are providing all of the information necessary
to ensure your application is true and honest. All of this information will be used to determine
the quotes and plans for which you are eligible.
If the Marketplace is where you want to apply for health insurance, the deadline for 2014
coverage is March 31, 2014. Give yourself about an hour and make sure to have your documentation
ready to save you time. If you submit your application and the message you receive is
"IN PROGRESS" something in your application is not cleared and we suggest you contact
the customer service department for the Marketplace at 1-800-318-2596.