It’s not too late to enroll in ACA

To the editor:

If you are among those who tried to enroll in Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) health insurance before or on the March 31 open enrollment deadline and ran into technical glitches on the healthcare.gov website, you have until April 15 to enroll.

Also, if you experience a “life event” such as losing a job and/or losing your insurance, getting married, adopting a child, etc., you would be eligible for a special enrollment period before the next open enrollment period Nov. 15. You would have 60 days of that event to enroll in ACA coverage. I would be happy to help you.

Please know that if your estimated adjusted gross income for 2014 (this year) needs to be at the federal poverty level or above to qualify for tax credits and possibly cost-sharing subsidies that would help cover costs of the insurance. If you are a single person, that means you’d need to make at least $14,350; for a tax household of two, it’s $19,380; a family of three needs $24,410; a family of four needs $29,440, etc. (add $5,000 for each additional family member). If you fall below that level, you might qualify for Medicaid if you have children, but otherwise you could be out of luck since Governor Parnell did not accept the Medicaid Expansion for Alaska.

The good news is if you fall below the poverty level, you would not be penalized for not having insurance. You would have a “hardship exemption” and could still get basic medical services at local community health clinics that use a sliding fee scale.

If your income is more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($57,400 for one person, $77,520 for a household of two, $97,640 for a family of three, $117,760 for four, and $137,880 for five) you would not qualify for any help paying for ACA insurance.

The next open enrollment period is Nov. 15 to Feb. 15 for ACA insurance to kick in Jan. 1, 2015. It will be based on your projected adjusted gross income for 2015.

Please give me a call at Mat-Su Health Services at 352-3225 if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment with me.

Kate McKee

Wasilla