Thread by @charles_gaba

📣🎉 AND WE'RE OFF!

My official 2022 #ACA Open Enrollment Guide: Here's the most important stuff to remember when you go to #GetCovered!
acasignups.net/21/11/03/and-w…

1. MOST WILL HAVE MORE TIME BUT YOU STILL SHOULDN'T DELAY!

The final deadline has been extended by a full month in most states, but in order to have your COVERAGE START IN JANUARY you should still *ENROLL* BY DECEMBER 15th!

Here's the official enrollment deadlines for every state + DC. (Note: A few of these may change):

2. AVOID JUNK PLANS & SCAMS; MAKE SURE YOU ENROLL IN AN OFFICIAL ACA POLICY.

There's lots of questionable website selling questionable policies these days. Stick to *official* ACA exchanges or *authorized* enrollment partners only!

Here's the #ACA exchange sites for every state:
CA: CoveredCA.com
CO: C4HCO.com
CT: AccessHealthCT.com
DC: DCHealthLink.com
ID: YourHealthIdaho.org
KY: Kynect.KY.gov 🆕
ME: CoverME.gov 🆕
MD: MarylandHealthConnection.gov

MA: MAHealthConnector.org
MN: MNsure.org
NV: NevadaHealthLink.com
NJ: GetCovered.NJ.gov
NM BeWellNM.com 🆕
NY: NYStateofHealth.NY.gov
PA: Pennie.com
RI: HealthSourceRI.com
VT: HealthConnect.Vermont.gov
WA WAHealthPlanFinder.org

For ALL OTHER STATES, use HealthCare.Gov!

(Alternately, you could also use HealthSherpa.com or W3LL.com, which are authorized #ACA enrollment partner sites)

⚠️ You're ONLY eligible for financial help if you use an official/authorized ACA site!

3. OFF-EXCHANGE ENROLLEES: THIS IS THE YEAR TO SWITCH TO ON-EXCHANGE COVERAGE!

Thanks to the #AmRescuePlan, millions who are paying full price for off-exchange plans are now eligible for enhanced #ACA subsidies...but they have to enroll ON-EXCHANGE to take advantage of this!

Between ~2.3 - 3.0 million Americans are enrolled in #ACA plans *OFF-exchange*, which means paying full price...

...but for 2022, MANY of them would be eligible to save THOUSANDS of dollars by moving ON-EXCHANGE (including 260K in California alone)!
acasignups.net/21/11/02/time-…

📣 4. MILLIONS MORE NOW QUALIFY FOR FINANCIAL HELP...AND THOSE WHO ALREADY DID QUALIFY FOR MORE!

Middle class folks used to have to pay full price, & help for many lower-income folks still wasn't generous enough. Thanks to the #ARP, #ACA plans are now affordable for *everyone*!

This table shows the % of household income your premiums were capped at under the original #ACA subsidy formula vs. the more generous #ARP formula.

Middle class households are now capped at no more than 8.5% of income, & lower-income enrollees pay far less (or even nothing)!

5. TEN STATES OFFER *ADDITIONAL* SAVINGS *ON TOP OF* EXPANDED #ARP SUBSIDIES!

In addition to the expanded/enhanced savings thanks to the #AmRescuePlan, 10 states have their own programs offering additional financial help for lower- (& sometimes middle-income) enrollees!

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont & Washington are all either offering additional supplemental financial help or have their own special high-quality healthcare coverage plans for low-income enrollees (or both)!

6. FOR LOWER-INCOME ENROLLEES, SILVER IS THE NEW PLATINUM!

If you earn < 200% FPL (~$26K if single; ~$52K for a family of 4), make sure to enroll in a SILVER plan to get SUBSTANTIALLY lower out of pocket costs!

"CSR Silver 94" or "CSR Silver 87" are effectively PLATINUM plans!

There's two types of federal #ACA financial help: Premium tax credits and "Cost Sharing Reductions" or CSR, which cuts down deductibles/co-pays...in most cases making these SILVER plans effectively PLATINUM!
acasignups.net/21/03/30/its-t…

7. FOR *MIDDLE CLASS* ENROLLEES, *GOLD* PLANS MAY COST LESS THAN SILVER!

It's a long, dumb story, but the bottom line is if you earn *over* 200% FPL, some Gold plans are a better value than Silver and may actually cost less in premiums...or even not have any premium cost at all!

.@bjdickmayhew has found 820 counties where at least one Gold plan costs less than the benchmark Silver plan *even at full price*...and thanks to a pricing strategy called #SilverLoading, this means many people earning > 200% FPL can get a FREE Gold plan!
acasignups.net/21/05/15/my-si…

8. FIVE STATES* STILL HAVE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL MANDATE!

The FEDERAL penalty may be gone, but CA, DC, MA, NJ & RI all still charge a financial penalty for residents who don't have #ACA-compliant healthcare coverage (unless they have an exemption).

*Yes, I know DC isn't a state.

Here's how much you'll have to pay in those states if you go the full year without having #ACA-compliant healthcare coverage next year (and don't receive an exemption):

9. MANY STATES/COUNTIES HAVE MORE CHOICES THAN EVER.

The days of worrying about "bare counties" are gone. Dozens of insurance carriers are expanding their coverage areas in 2022, entering new counties & states while offering more plan options.

Here's a list of carriers which are joining (or rejoining) new #ACA markets for 2022 from @LouiseNorris:
healthinsurance.org/blog/how-new-c…

Of course that many options can get confusing, which is why it's great news that...

10. THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM IS BACK AT FULL STRENGTH, BABY!

The HHS Dept. has upped grant funding to dozens of qualified health insurance navigator programs nationally for 2022... especially for underserved communities. More help & guidance is here!

Here's the details along with a full list of 2022 #ACA navigator grantees for each state which utilizes the federal ACA exchange (state-based exchanges have their own navigator budgets & programs):
acasignups.net/21/08/27/cms-a…

⚠️ 11. ABOVE ALL ELSE: DO *NOT* LET YOURSELF BE PASSIVELY "AUTO-RENEWED!"

It's always been a good idea to *actively* shop around to see whether there's a better value available, but that's more true than ever this year! Don't leave money on the table; SHOP AROUND & save!

12. If you find this thread or my work at ACA Signups useful and want to support it, you can do so here either once or monthly, thanks!

P.S. Make sure to #GetCovered!
acasignups.net/support