Local help available for Affordable Care Act enrollment

By Allison Marlow
Posted 5/7/21

If you need affordable health care you don’t have to wait until the fall. Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is available now.

The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that …

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Local help available for Affordable Care Act enrollment

Posted

If you need affordable health care you don’t have to wait until the fall. Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is available now.

The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that President Joe Biden signed earlier this year made coverage significantly more affordable for millions of people who either already have marketplace coverage, are uninsured or lost their employer coverage. The bill also eliminated repayment requirements for premium tax credits.

For those who need new enrollment, the open enrollment period was extended from now until Aug. 15. Those already enrolled need to visit healthcare.gov and update their application for some of the changes in the relief bill to take effect.

Not sure how to enroll or access the changes? Sally Ansell, of Fairhope, can help. She volunteers her days taking people step by step through the process. Ansell was trained by Medicaid to navigate individuals through the system.

“There’s never been a better time to enroll in the Affordable Care Act,” she said noting that many of her clients have seen dramatic drops in monthly fees.

She said there are no restrictions for enrollees with pre-existing conditions.

Ansell helps dozens of people each week with the online steps either in person or on the phone. She offers the help free of charge.

“We believe in healthcare for everybody,” she said. “You can decide not to have health insurance, but you can’t decide not to get ill or have an accident.”

To enroll on your own, call 800-318-2596 or visit www.healthcare.gov

To make an appointment for help with Ansell, call 251-648-6982.

To enroll, either on your own or with her help, Ansell said individuals need to know their estimated household income for 2021, social security numbers for everyone in the family and a cell phone. Verification codes are sent to users’ cell phones. Those already enrolled in the marketplace will need their username and password.