It’s That Time: Open Enrollment in Healthcare.gov

CREDIT NATALIA MERZLYAKOVA 123RF STOCK PHOTO

Wednesday was the first day to buy health insurance on Healthcare.gov in Kentucky. For about 80% of Kentuckians who buy a plan on the individual market, prices might actually go down.

According to Melissa Mathers, who serves as director of communications at Family Health Centers in Louisville, there’s still a lot of confusion about whether Healthcare.gov is still running, and whether prices have gone up. Mathers said even though multiple efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act failed, there’s been a lot of talk from politicians that the law is failing, as is Healthcare.gov.

“There’s a lot of confusion because of all the activity over the summer trying to repeal and replace,” said Mathers, “and the big question is whether the ACA is still around and if I can afford my insurance anymore.”

Mathers said in some cases, insurance plans that offer better benefits like lower copays may charge lower monthly payments.

It’s important to know, those who had a plan on Healthcare.gov last year will be automatically enrolled. It’s also important to double check those plans. There might be a cheaper deal to get before the enrollment period ends December 15 this year.