Congressman Sanford Bishop

Representing the 2nd District of Georgia

Health Care

Get 2015 Health Coverage Now
Enroll by December 15 to get high-quality coverage that meets your needs starting January 1

GETTING HEALTH CARE COVERAGE THROUGH THE HEALTH EXCHANGE SYSTEM:

Open Enrollment is the time when you can apply for a 2015 Marketplace plan, keep your current plan, or pick a new one. Are you ready for the next Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Period?

Here are 4 key dates you should know:

•    November 15, 2014. Open Enrollment begins. Apply for, keep, or change your coverage.

•    December 15, 2014. Enroll by the 15th if you want new coverage that begins on January 1, 2015. If your plan is changing or you want to change plans, enroll by the 15th to avoid a lapse in coverage.

•    December 31, 2014. Coverage ends for 2014 plans. Coverage for 2015 plans can start as soon as January 1st.

•    February 15, 2015. This is the last day you can apply for 2015 coverage before the end of Open Enrollment.

Open Enrollment for 2015 coverage is now open!

Apply Now

With the open enrollment season for 2015 having started, here’s a look at how the Affordable Care Act provides important patient protections and health care benefits to American families:

  • More than 8.3 million seniors have received $12 billion in Medicare prescription drugs savings since 2010. [Ways and Means, 11/12/14]

  • This year, more than two thirds (69%) of individuals selecting plans with tax credits in the federal Marketplace have net monthly premiums of $100 or less and nearly half (46%) have net monthly premiums of $50 or less. [Ways and Means, 11/12/14

  • Approximately 6 million young adults have been allowed to stay on their parents’ private insurance plans until age 26. [Ways and Means, 11/12/14]

  • Over 10 million previously uninsured adults have found coverage, cutting the uninsured rate by 26%. [HHS, 10/7/14]

  • 70% of Americans with Marketplace insurance plans feel they can now afford care if they get sick, and a majority say their premiums are easy to afford. [HHS, 10/7/14]

  • 76 million Americans with private insurance have received free preventive care services, including 30 million women and 18 million children. [HHS, 10/7/14]

  • American consumers have saved $9 billion since 2011, because the law says that insurance companies have to spend at least 80 cents of every premium dollar they receive on providing health care, not on profits or overhead expenses.  [HHS, 10/7/14]

  • Medicare Part B premiums will not go up for the second year in a row in 2015 – compared to premiums that skyrocketed by 112 percent between 2000 and 2008. [CMS, 7/28/14]

  • The life of the Medicare Trust Fund has been extended by 13 years. [CMS, 7/28/14]

  • 129 million Americans, including 17.6 million children with pre-existing conditions, cannot be discriminated against by insurers, and being a woman can no longer be considered a pre-existing condition. [HHS, 7/16/14]

  • 100 million Americans with private insurance no longer need to worry about hitting a lifetime limit on coverage – those limits could leave families facing bankruptcy when they had a medical emergency and their insurance stopped paying for their care. [HHS, 7/16/14

  • In 2013 alone, 37.2 million seniors accessed free Medicare preventative care services, including free Medicare annual wellness visits. [HHS, 7/16/14]

  • “More than three-quarters of those who had either enrolled in Medicaid or bought a private insurance plan in one of the new marketplaces” are satisfied with their new coverage, and “more than half (58%) said they were better off because of their new coverage.” [Los Angeles Times, 7/10/14]

  • Since 2010, National Health Expenditures (NHE) have grown at an average annual rate of 3.8%. This represents the lowest rate on record for any four-year period (since tracking began in 1960), and is less than half of the average annual growth rate of 9.3% over that 50+ year period. [American Hospital Association, 3/11/14]

To learn more about coverage and eligibility for tax credits to make coverage more affordable, visit www.HealthCare.gov. Americans without access to the internet or who prefer not to enroll online can get information and sign up through the Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325). After identifying the best option, those seeking coverage have until February 15, 2015, to enroll.  However, they must sign up by December 15 in order for coverage to begin on January 1, 2015.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU MISS OPEN ENROLLMENT:

Important: If you don’t have minimum essential coverage, you must either pay a fee or have an exemption from paying the fee.

Outside open enrollment season, see if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period so you can buy a private health plan through the Marketplace.

Apply for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — you can do this any time, all year. If you qualify you can enroll immediately.

Small businesses can apply for SHOP coverage any time, all year.

Members of federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native shareholders can enroll in Marketplace coverage any time of year. There is no limited enrollment period for these groups, and they can change plans as often as once a month.

For more information, please click here.

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More on Health Care

May 30, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, issued the following statement regarding the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki:

May 30, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, released the following statement after the full Appropriations Committee passed its Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 government spending bill by a vote of 31 to 18.

May 22, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies issued the following statement regarding this morning comments by the President regarding the issue of the Inspector General investigation and individual audits being conducted at the Department of Veterans Affairs in response to recent reports of delayed service for veterans and hidden waiting lists:

May 15, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies expressed outrage at the allegations levied against the Department of Veterans Affairs claiming that administrative cost-cutting led to denials in service to veterans:

May 7, 2014 Press Release

ALBANY, GA – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) is proud to announce the following U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant awarded to Albany State University (ASU) through the National Institute of Health (NIH). Through the Understanding Non-Covalent Interaction in Carbon Nanotube/Anticancer Drug Conjugate project, Dr. Yixuan Wang and ASU students will research anti-cancer drug resistance.

Sep 30, 2013 Press Release

Washington, D.C. – This morning, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop (GA-02), the Ranking Member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies opposed House Amendments to Senate Amendment to House Joint Resolution (H.J. Res.) 59, the Continuing Resolution for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. The measure, as amended, links the continued funding for most government operations through December 15, 2013 to a one-year delay of key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. In addition, H.J. Res.

Apr 17, 2013 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) spearheaded a bipartisan letter with Congressman Peter King (R-NY) in support of the Department of Defense (DoD) Peer-Reviewed Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP). The funds will be directed to identify new methods to diagnose prostate cancer, develop new targeted Medicare and vaccines, and increase access to clinical trials. Seventy-one of his colleagues, including Congressman King, signed the letter in support of the initiative.

Oct 29, 2012 Press Release
ALBANY, GA – Yesterday, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02 joined Joel Wernick, CEO of Phoebe Putney, Dorothy Hubbard, Mayor of Albany, the Albany Chamber of Commerce, the Dougherty County Commission, the Albany City Commission, as well as management and staff of Phoebe Putney at the ribbon cutting for Phoebe Putney’s new digestive health center in Albany Georgia.
Sep 20, 2012 Press Release

COLUMBUS, GA – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) released the following statement today announcing the awarding of a Fiscal Year 2012 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service Grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the New Horizons Community Service Board based in Columbus, GA. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service Grants are used to promote quality behavioral health programs that focus on prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.

Jun 28, 2012 Press Release

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States announced their 5 to 4 vote to uphold the Health Care law.

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