Some Easy Way To Get Health Insurance

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Some Easy Way To Get Health Insurance


How to Get Health Insurance

If you need to buy health insurance, you’re in good company.  For the third year in a row, the number of uninsured people in the United States increased in 2019, an increase of more than one million from 2018.1 We'll explain each option for buying your own health insurance so you can decide which path might  be best for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Your best chance is to buy Affordable, Comprehensive Health Insurance During Annual Open Enrollment Window.
  • You can also work with an agent or broker to get health insurance. Working with a broker means you will not be charged a fee.
  • If you want to qualify for the subsidy, you need to apply through Healthcare.gov or your state exchange instead of buying directly from the insurer.
  • If you purchase health insurance through an online health insurance brokerage, aka personal exchange, you will not be shown all the plans that meet your requirements.
  • By purchasing through an association or membership organization you can get a group rate on health insurance.



Use the Government’s Health Insurance Marketplace

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The health insurance market is often referred to as the health insurance "exchange". Depending on your income and your eligibility for other health insurance coverage, you may qualify for a subsidy  also called a premium tax credit — when you purchase health insurance through the market.

You can buy a marketplace policy even if you qualify for insurance through your employer, and it won't hurt to see if you can find a good plan for your situation. You may not be eligible for a subsidy if you have access to job-based coverage.

Open enrollment for 2022 coverage begins Nov. 1, 2020. You must enroll by December 15th for coverage that begins Jan. 1, 2022.2 In 2021, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the open enrollment period was extended from Feb. 15 to May 15, 2021.

The date of enrollment in the State Exchange may be slightly different. It is important to purchase a policy during this annual enrollment period because you will not be able to purchase a policy for another year unless you have qualified life events such as a life, marriage, or childbiplan

You can apply online, by phone or in person. If you need help applying, you can work with a marketplace navigator, a certified application consultant or personally support staff in some states. You must be a U.S. citizen or be legally present in the country to purchase a Marketplace plan

Work With an Agent or Broker

An agent or broker can help you find a better policy for you because they have experience evaluating health insurance plans. The federal government's Find Local Help Tool can help you find a marketplace-trained private insurance broker. To learn about the maximum number of options and to get the least biased advice, you may want to work with a broker that sells marketplaces and non-marketplace plans.

Health insurance companies pay brokers when they sell policies. Consumers pay no fees to brokers, nor do they pay high premiums for working with them. "Agent" usually refers to someone who sells policies to only one insurance company, while "broker" means someone who sells policies to more than one insurance company.

Private insurance brokers can also show you options for private enrollment sites from insurance companies and web brokers. If you want to qualify for the subsidy, you must apply through Healthcare.gov or your state exchange.

Government health insurance navigators will only show you marketplace plans available through Healthcare.gov. All of these plans are eligible for subsidies, and the help of a navigator is free.

You Can Also Get Health Insurance By:

  1. Buy Directly From an Insurer
  2. Buy Through a Membership Organization
  3. Buy Through an Online Health Insurance Brokerage