Kentuckians without employer-sponsored coverage or who don’t qualify for Medicaid have until Dec. 15 to select a health-insurance plan during open enrollment.
Advocates urge consumers to be wary of short-term limited duration plans, which tend to be cheaper and typically last for three- to six-month intervals.
Written by Nadia Ramlagan of Kentucky News Service
Emily Beauregard, executive director of Kentucky Voices for Health, said the problem is such plans don’t come with the same protections and comprehensive coverage required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
And she warned the so-called “junk plans” are being marketed aggressively on internet searches.
“In the past few years, more and more of these plans are being sold,” Beauregard observed. “There are now more than 20 insurers in Kentucky selling these short-term, limited-duration plans.”
She added the Trump administration has loosened restrictions and expanded short-term plans up to 364 days for three years, which Beauregard cautioned may further confuse consumers because they can appear similar to comprehensive coverage plans.
She worried residents on the hunt for health coverage during the coronavirus crisis might be duped into thinking their short-term plan has the same standards as plans sold on healthcare.gov.
Beauregard recommended Kentuckians who need guidance finding a plan can contact a local application assistant or “Kynector” (pronounced ‘connecter’), and suggested going to kynect.ky.gov and using the kynector locator tool on the website to search by county or ZIP code for an expert near them.
“When people are shopping on healthcare.gov and they see the full price of a plan, they should contact a kynector, so that an individual can help them navigate what the plan options are, help them figure out what option might be best for them, and if they are eligible for subsidies,” Beauregard recommended.
More than 200,000 Commonwealth residents currently are uninsured, but more than half qualify for financial assistance to help to pay for health coverage or qualify for free coverage through Medicaid.
More than 1.8 million Kentuckians already live with a pre-existing medical condition, and Beauregard theorized it’s possible COVID-19 could be added to that list.
“You know, we don’t know that COVID-19 is going to be considered a pre-existing condition, but it very well could,” Beauregard remarked. “It’s important for people to recognize they need full coverage. Covid-19 also has a lot of side effects, and a lot of unknown longer-term consequences.”
She noted unlike marketplace insurance, junk plans can deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.
And she added next year it will be easier to search for health coverage.
Starting in 2021, residents will be able to use the state-based kynect.ky.gov to enroll in either Medicaid or an ACA marketplace plan, regardless of income.
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Written by Nadia Ramlagan. Cross-posted from Kentucky News Connection.