Navigating ObamaCare
ObamaCare is one of the most dangerous and poorly written laws in the history of the United States. I continue to believe that ObamaCare was sold to the people under false pretences and needs to be fully repealed and replaced.
Examples of how the public was misled about ObamaCare are already mounting up. President Obama promised if you like your current healthcare plan you can keep it, but tell that to the thousands of South Carolinians who have already lost their health insurance because of the new healthcare law. Additionally, millions of Americans have been unable to find full-time employment because of the hardships ObamaCare places on businesses.
The truth is this is simply a bad law and will continue hurting our country until Congress and the public are able to push for full repeal.
Previously I posted a comprehensive list of tax increases in the new healthcare law.
The best place for information on how ObamaCare will impact you, your family, or your business, is to visit www.healthcare.gov or call the marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596, TTY: 1-855-889-4325.
If there’s anything I can do to assist you related to ObamaCare, you are welcome to contact Tosha Hart in my Laurens Office at (864) 681-1028.
If you’ve already been impacted by the new healthcare law, I’d encourage you to share your story with me by clicking HERE.
Health Insurance Marketplace
(FAQ-Individuals and Families)
- When is the Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment season?
The first open enrollment period will be from October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014. All subsequent open enrollment periods will begin on October 15th and end December 7th.
- When will coverage begin?
Consumers must select a plan by the 15th of the month for coverage to start on the 1st of the following month (but no earlier than January 1, 2014). If health plans are chosen after the 15th, coverage will start on the 1st day of the next following month. For example, if a consumer picks a plan on February 18, coverage will not start until April 1.
- How do consumers find out more information, apply for coverage, and/or enroll in a health plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace?
By Phone: Marketplace call center open 24/7- 1-800-318-2596, TTY: 1-855-889-4325
In Person: Navigator, Certified Application Counselor, local insurance agent or broker. (Navigators are community based groups trained to assist individuals with the marketplace enrollment process. Certified Application Counselors are groups that may include community health centers or other health care providers, hospitals, or social service agencies.)
Via Web: www.healthcare.gov (the official consumer site for the Marketplace)
By Mail: Using a paper application which can be printed off www.healthcare.gov.
- How can consumers afford the health insurances offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace?
Financial help is available to many consumers who are uninsured and have low income through tax credits and cost-sharing reductions, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
- What if I do not have health insurance coverage in 2014?
Starting January 1, 2014, if someone doesn't have a health plan that qualifies as minimum essential coverage (the type of coverage an individual needs to have to meet the individual responsibility requirement under the Affordable Care Act), he or she may have to pay a fee that increases every year: from 1% of income (or $95 per adult, whichever is higher) in 2014 to 2.5% of income (or $695 per adult) in 2016. The fee for children is half the adult amount. The fee is paid on the 2014 federal income tax form, which is completed in 2015. People with very low incomes and others may be eligible for waivers.
