This story is especially for anyone who was laid off or for any reason lost their employer-sponsored health insurance. You have until midnight to check out the Insurance Marketplace and sign up for medical insurance coverage before the deadline. For many Alaskans, it will be free.
The Deadline for signing up for free or subsidized medical insurance is just after midnight Tuesday, December 15.
“We are very concerned that people who had employer sponsored health care insurance, lost it in the recent layoffs due to the pandemic.”
That’s Lori Wing-Heir, Alaska’s Director of Insurance. She wants people to check out the plans today at healthcaremarketplace.com
Alaska haslost nearly 30,000 jobs since people have stopped traveling or eating indoors to avoid getting sick during the pandemic. According to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis Section, 3,600 of those jobs are in the Interior. Many of those people have no medical insurance.
“You don’t want to be without health insurance right now.”
Wing-Heir says there has been so much discussion about the cost of insurance, Alaskans might not know about the huge discounts when they buy their own medical insurance directly from the Marketplace website.
“It is dependent upon income. So, if someone has lost their job and doesn’t have a high income right now, then there’s a good chance they could be getting the insurance for next to nothing.”
The discount comes from an Advance Premium Tax Credit -- it is in effect a subsidy, where the federal government pays for most or all of the cost of the insurance – depending on your income.
“You might be able to get a Silver plan, for less than you would pay for a Bronze plan without the subsidy. If that makes any sense. We really encourage people to get in there and play around.”
So, going to the Marketplace website, using the 2019 Median Household income for Fairbanks North Star Borough $76,992 (pre-pandemic) for a household with two adults and two children, and it returns what’s called the “Silver” plans from Moda and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alaska at about $500./month to cover those four people. But for the “Bronze” plans – Zero. They are effectively free. And that’s for someone with a $77,000 income.
“All plans have the same essential health benefits, but you are going to look at a difference in deductible, and you’re going to look at a difference in co-pay.”
Alaska’s Division of Insurance has been trying to get the word out about Tuesday’s deadline to apply for insurance coverage online at Healthcare.gov or by calling 1-800-318-2596.
“The funding was cut, for the Governments, the federal or the state, to do any advertising. We have tried to do a little bit of a grassroots campaign. On our Facebook page and the commissioner wrote an op Ed trying to encourage people to enroll before the deadline expires.”
For more information, visit Insurance.Alaska.Gov/Consumers/Health.aspx
In Fairbanks, the Interior Community Health Center at 1606 23rd Ave, Fairbanks, is open until 5 p.m. today to help people step through the online enrollment, or get help filling out a paper form.
“For some people, just the thought of having to go through an entire application is a deterrent for people.”
Darla Allen routinely helps people sign up for insurance. She and the other Certified Application Counselors at the Center can help folks navigate the application process.
“Call my direct line at 458-1556.”
There are a few hours after 5 p.m. to sign up on the Healthcare.govwebsite, in fact Alaska’s online Marketplace deadline is closer to 1 a.m. on Wednesday. Alaska and Hawaii get an extra hour to accept applications.