On February 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for individuals and families who did not have health insurance coverage in 2014 and are subject to the fee or “shared responsibility payment” when they file their 2014 taxes in states which use the Federally-facilitated Marketplaces (FFM).
CMS will provide consumers an opportunity to purchase health insurance coverage beginning on March 15, 2015 and ending on April 30, 2015. This Special Enrollment Period is for on-exchange business only and all applications must go through the Marketplace.
We’re Here To Help
We here at Gallen Insurance can assist people with obtaining health insurance, regardless of whether it’s on the Marketplace or not. We’ve heard many times that they think the Marketplace and private agencies are mutually exclusive when it comes to buying health insurance.
If you didn’t have health insurance last year for a period of time and don’t have it now, you can STILL obtain health insurance even though open enrollment has ended. However, the window is small and it will end April 30th, 2015.
You can also note that the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) is still available to anyone based on such factors as:
Qualifying Life Events
- Marriage
- Domestic partnership
- Birth, adoption
- Loss of minimum essential coverage (i.e. if you had coverage through an employer and they dropped group coverage)
- A permanent move to a new area that offers different health plan options
- Change in income, household or other status that affects eligibility for Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTC) or Cost-Sharing Reductions (CSR)
- And more! Please refer to the attached CPA SEP form for a complete list
For more information call Mike Fields at 610-898-6532.