ACA Enrollees: Know What To Do To Ensure Coverage
By Dr. James Palermo // December 31, 2013
JAN.1 MARKS MAJOR MILESTONE FOR OBAMACARE
No matter what your opinion is of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA, aka Obamacare) three contentious years of preparation and its precarious launch, Jan. 1 marks a major milestone when at least 6 million Americans start new health coverage, including about 2 million who have purchased plans through their state’s health insurance marketplace or HealthCare.gov, and another 4 million who are enrolling in Medicaid.
The transition to new coverage should be seamless. However, with Obamacare’s implementation track record to date, the quote from the Scottish poet Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / gang aft agley,“ is apropos to the challenges that many new insurance enrollees may be facing in January.
It is assumed that coverage for those who signed up by the Dec. 24 deadline should be in place after midnight December 31, but it remains to be seen whether everyone who sought coverage really have it, and if those who think they enrolled actually have a registered policy and the documentation to prove it.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that’s running health reform for the country, has created several excellent online consumer fact sheets (see links below) to help people make the transition to their new policies. If you’ve signed up on the state or federal health insurance exchanges for a new policy, take the time to download these links and familiarize yourself with what you should know and do to ensure your coverage in the New Year.
Preparing for your first doctor visit with your new plan.
What to do if you signed up but don’t have coverage yet.
