Helpful Tools for the Affordable Care Act
As you navigate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplaces, which opened on October 1st and implementation of the new health care law on January 1st, it is important that you have access to all of the tools you need to navigate our new health care system. The Affordable Care Act is a seminal and strong foundation for the kind of health care system this country and its people deserves.
You can find additional information about the ACA and some helpful resources on this page. For questions about ACA, you can visit www.healthcare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This short video offers insight into how the law works and how it can benefit you. This even shorter video explains how health insurance Marketplaces will work after October 1st.
What if I have job-based insurance:
If you have job-based health insurance you like, it is not necessary to change your plan. You may be able to change to Marketplace coverage if you prefer.
Any job-based health plan you currently have qualifies as minimum essential coverage. You don't need to change to a Marketplace plan in order to avoid the fee that uninsured people may have to pay for 2014. If you'd like to explore Marketplace coverage options, there are several important things to consider.
How the ACA and MassHealth will work together:
Massachusetts has long led the way in quality, affordable health care coverage for its citizens. For information about how the existing MassHealth and ACA will work together after October 1st, please click here.
How the health care law protects you:
- Creates the Health Insurance Marketplace, a new way for individuals, families, and small businesses to get health coverage
- Requires insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing health conditions
- Helps you understand the coverage you’re getting
- Holds insurance companies accountable for rate increases
- Makes it illegal for health insurance companies to arbitrarily cancel your health insurance just because you get sick
- Protects your choice of doctors
- Covers young adults under 26
- Provides free preventive care
- Ends lifetime and yearly dollar limits on coverage of essential health benefits
- Guarantees your right to appeal
A new way to "SHOP" for small business coverage and get help:
The Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) simplifies the process of buying health insurance for your small business. Call now to get your SHOP and small business questions answered by a customer service representative at 1-800-706-7893 or (TTY: 1-800-706-7915 ). The call center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if you have any questions or concerns.