Exchange open enrollment deadline is Dec. 15

Since Open Enrollment began on November 1, 3,198,163 people selected plans using the HealthCare.gov platform.

The HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment Period runs from November 1, 2018, to December 15, 2018, for coverage starting on January 1, 2019.

“The focus for this year, as it was for last year, is to provide a seamless open enrollment experience for HealthCare.gov consumers,” said Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Regional Administrator Jeff Hinson.

“We’ve made important improvements to customer service this year. We streamlined the application to simplify the process for consumers, improved content and help information to make it easier for people to understand and worked to deliver better customer service.”

Since open enrollment began on Nov. 1, some 15,529 Montana consumers have selected a plan in the Federally Facilitated Exchange.

Montana consumers have until Dec. 15 to sign up for coverage that starts on Jan. 1, 2019. Montanans who do not enroll by the Dec. 15 deadline can’t get 2019 coverage unless they qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Consumers in Montana can visit HealthCare.gov and CuidadodeSalud.gov to preview 2019 plans and prices and sign up for coverage.

CMS is encouraging Montanans who need health insurance to join the millions of people who have gone to HealthCare.gov and found health insurance. The plans on HealthCare.gov are comprehensive and offer annual checkups at no extra cost and coverage of doctor visits, prescription drugs, and certain preventive care with no out-of-pocket costs.

Nationally, average premiums have decreased and the number of plans have increased on the Federal Exchange for 2019.

For the very first time since Healthcare.gov started offering coverage, average premium rates for a benchmark silver plan in 2019 have gone down across the 39 states that use the federal platform. Consumers have more plans to choose from to find the best fit for themselves. There are 23 more issuers on the federal Exchanges for 2019 than there were in 2018. And, 29 issuers are expanding their service area into new counties.

Consumers should come back to HealthCare.gov to compare plans and prices, as they may be able to find a plan that saves them money and better meets their health needs.

Montana consumers can get help filling out their application in three ways.

By phone. Consumers can call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325). Available every day, except certain holidays.

In-person help. Consumers can use the Find Local Help tool on HealthCare.gov to see if they can get in-person help in their community.

Health insurance agents and brokers. Agents and brokers can help consumers enroll through the Exchange or handle the whole process. Search for health insurance agents and brokers using the Find Local Help tool.