Affordable health insurance is within reach

by Julie Estlick

罗西·杜兰(Rosie Duran)认为，在帮助拉里默县(Larimer County)的人们找到负担得起的医疗保险或参加医疗补助计划(Medicaid)的15年多时间里，她几乎看到了这一切. 然后，新冠肺炎大流行来袭，家庭在一个颠倒的世界中突然面临意想不到的挑战.

Juggling remote schooling and jobs, 关闭, 裁员, 对感染和传播疾病的恐惧足以让任何人夜不能寐. Making sure you have health insurance might have gotten pushed down the list, but as Open Enrollment comes to a close on 1月15日, 杜兰认为，这是一件你可以控制的事情，它将有助于在这些困难时期带来一些内心的平静.

“COVID-19 has been hard for us all, 但如果你或你的家人生病了，拥有良好的医疗保险从来没有像现在这样重要过, or has an accident,” says Duran, team supervisor for Larimer Health Connect (LHC), 北拉里默县保健区的一个项目，免费帮助选择符合每个家庭保健需要和预算的正确计划, including potential financial assistance.

3月以来, 大型强子对撞机的团队成员——他们都是经过国家认证的健康保险指南——通过视频和电话与客户会面, with some in-person appointments for those without access to a computer. They have stayed plenty busy during Open Enrollment, 在这段时间里，你可以在“连接健康科罗拉多州”上购买私人保险计划, the state’s health insurance marketplace. 如果你的生活发生了某些变化，比如因为工作失去了健康保险，你仍然可以在开放注册期之外注册, 移动, getting married, 或有了孩子，你可能有资格享受自己的特殊注册期(SEP), 或者你是否符合科罗拉多医疗第一(Medicaid)和儿童健康计划Plus (CHP+)的资格, which have no deadlines.

Stay covered

Even if you’re out of work, 调查你的健康保险选择是很重要的，这样如果意外发生，你就不会被巨额医疗账单所困扰. 一项由该州劳工部和卫生保健政策部进行的调查 & 《澳门银河线上博彩》杂志发现，大约20%领取失业救济金的人没有医疗保险, or anticipated losing their insurance, 在那些没有保险的个人中，高达46%的人计划不买保险.

During these stressful times, 许多医疗保险计划都包括COVID-19检测和治疗, mental health appointments, and medications. 如果你有保险，家人去急诊或急诊室会更便宜. 即使在预算紧张的情况下，保险费用也可能没有你想象的那么高.

“A lot of people are surprised that they qualify for financial help, making it affordable for them to purchase insurance through the marketplace,” Duran says.

她指出，几家保险公司提供了不同类型和级别的计划. For instance, 信诺在2021年以较低成本计划选择的形式回到拉里默县，成为州市场的保险提供商, joining providers Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kaiser Permanente, 和周五 Health Plans of Colorado.

Whether you need assistance with the marketplace website, want help comparing plans, or just don’t understand what some of the insurance terms mean, Larimer Health Connect is a great resource. The LHC team saw at least 100 additional clients in 2020, and Duran anticipates they will meet their goal of 1,200 appointments during Open Enrollment.

Will I lose my Medicaid?

新型冠状病毒感染症(COVID-19)的扩散导致的隔离和关闭给我们的日常生活带来了混乱. The government has provided some help from the uncertainty and loss, 包括确保在全球健康危机期间生活在很少或没有收入的美国人可以获得医疗保险.

近300,根据美国国务院发布的针对COVID-19的联邦公共卫生紧急(PHE)命令，000名科罗拉多州人被“锁定”在他们的政府医疗补助计划中.S. 卫生与公众服务部部长亚历克斯·阿扎尔在疫情开始时表示, which means that once a person is enrolled they cannot be dropped off, even if their income goes above the guidelines, unless they move out of state or withdraw from the program. 在17日,000 Larimer County residents are covered under the order, 该计划将于1月20日到期，尽管州卫生官员希望在任何人的保险终止之前进行彻底的审查. 阿扎尔部长也可以延长行政令，他已经延长了三次.

“Although we have approximately 290,000 Coloradans currently locked-in, we don’t anticipate that all stand to lose coverage,” says Marivel Klueckman, eligibility director for the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & 融资. “Due to the impact of COVID on the economy, 我们预计至少有一半的人将符合指导方针，并有资格再次获得医疗补助.”

她估计，重新评估一个会员的注册可能需要90天的时间. 在那之后, 如果你不再符合资格，你会收到一份“行动通知”，上面有确切的终止日期——它会邮寄到你的家庭住址，除非你选择了电子邮件或短信. Klueckman强调，保持你的Colorado PEAK账户更新最新的联系信息是很重要的, 现在就报告收入的变化，而不是等到紧急情况结束.

还记得, you can be a working adult and still qualify for Medicaid if you make $17,000 a year or less, 或者大约1美元,400 per month for an individual; $34,800 or $2,900 for a family of four. 还有一个针对收入高于正常收入准则的人的购买计划，允许以某种能力工作并患有慢性疾病或残疾的人购买保险, even if they have employer-provided health insurance. Medicaid can be used as a secondary insurance for those who qualify.

任何在公共卫生部门之后被排除在医疗补助范围之外的人都有资格获得60天的特别注册期，可以在州市场上购买一项计划，并且可能会发现他们有资格获得税收补贴和更低的成本, Klueckman adds.

And if you have a job but your employer doesn’t offer insurance, 杜兰建议在开放注册期间购买一个符合你预算的计划, 因为如果你被解雇了，没有健康保险，你就没有资格获得SEP，必须等到秋天才能在市场上购买2022年的保险(除非你有资格获得医疗补助/CHP+), which are open year-round for enrollment).

Let’s be honest: 2020 was a wild year for everyone. If you’ve put off choosing a health insurance plan, or reviewing last year’s plan to make sure it is still the best option, Duran and her team are ready to help.

距离该州1月15日开放注册的截止日期只有几天了, Larimer Health Connect is hosting two call-in events: Saturday, 1月9日, 和周五, 1月15日. No appointments are necessary for those days, just call 970-472-0444 (see Save the Date box for times).

杜兰总结得最好:“如果你对健康保险有任何疑问，或者需要帮助了解所有可用的选择, please call us. Don’t go into 2021 uninsured!”