Take Advantage of the 2018 Open Enrollment Period
Individuals who don’t have health insurance should make themselves aware that it’s time for 2018 Open Enrollment if they hope to be covered by an eligible medical coverage plan for the new year. Sackett & Associates Insurance Services is here to help you find the perfect plan for your personal needs and to make sure you have all the info you need to make the best choice regarding your healthcare coverage needs.
Know the Deadlines
One of the first things you should know about open enrollment is that there are several deadlines, which start the first of November and extend to January 31st. Most importantly, if you want medical coverage to start on January 1, 2018 then you must enroll before December 15, 2017. We will cover more on the series of open enrollment deadlines in a future blog. It’s essential you make sure you’re not only aware of each individual deadline, but that you give yourself plenty of time to submit any information or forms necessary for each deadline so you have proper health insurance before enrollment officially concludes.
Make Sure Your Current Plan Is What You Want
If you already have health coverage, we’d be happy to sit down with you and go over your plan to make sure it meets your current needs. There’s a chance you might need to make some adjustments depending on where you are in life, or if you plan on making major changes in your life, such as getting married or having a child. It’s essential that your plan always fits your lifestyle, mainly because you’ll likely have to wait until the next enrollment period before you can make changes, and there’s no telling how many problems you can encounter in the meantime. Let us help you avoid an unnecessary financial and medical disaster.
Ask About Penalties
With the way the ACA is changing, it’s uncertain as to whether you’ll have to pay penalties for not having a qualifying health insurance coverage. For that reason, it’s best to stay up-to-date on what is likely to change and what is likely to stay the same as far as penalties are concerned. With Covered California being the only fully functional and operational state insurance market place, it’s more than likely the penalties will still be issued in California. Contact a health insurance professional for his or her expert insight, and develop a backup plan in the event that you are hit with a penalty.
To learn more about the 2018 Open Enrollment deadlines, or if you’re in need of a bit of guidance for finding the ideal policy, let us know. Contact a Sackett & Associates Insurance Services representative at 707-823-3689. Be sure to like us on Facebook, find us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our blog for more informational posts like this one.