Carolyn Thomson, ACA federally certified and licensed health care advisor who works closely with Department of Health of Monroe County supporting Access to Care Program, joined good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5MF this morning to talk about open enrollment.
What is open enrollment?
Thomson said, “Open enrollment is that time of year when you can enroll in a plan or make changes to an existing plan. This year it runs November 1 through January 15, but next year it’s only going to be six weeks. It’s only going to run through December 15. Talk about a marathon. But this is only one of the significant changes for the Affordable Cares Act, the marketplace integrity affordability final rule, came out in June, and all kinds of different changes for the Affordable Cares Act, and one of them is in the subsidies. Now, everybody is saying that the subsidies are going away. That is not a true statement. The subsidies are going back to the original amount when they were set back in 2010 because we had enhanced subsidies that were set during the American Rescue Act, and they’re expiring at the end of the year. So what we’re seeing now for plans is with the original subsidies, and not the enhanced subsidies, which make the plans a little bit more expensive, on top of all the insurance companies raised their rates as well. So it’s kind of confusing, a lot of uncertainty, but there is some hope. My role has changed. It’s now a health care advisor. I’m no longer a navigator. That position was terminated because of budget cuts. I know this is crazy, crazy times, but here it is. I think it’s possible that some agreements could be made in Congress that’s going to bring back these enhanced subsidies, even temporarily, or it could come back with changes or new rules. Something has to happen. You don’t tear down your house without having somewhere else to live. They’re going to come to their senses, but the good news is, no matter what’s going to happen, I’m here to help, and one of the things is comprehensive services. I now have access to more resources and other products that can eliminate planned deductibles and overall lower cost. It’s interesting how when you shift what you do, but you still can do it and I’m really grateful that I found a pathway to be able to continue to help our community with health insurance. This is amazing, considering the times are confusing.”
Why it is so important to have health care insurance in the first place?
Thomson said, “Rates are going up, subsidies have gone down. Overall costs are crazy. I mean, the cost of care, you go to the ER, it’s thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars. So the biggest importance of health insurance is protection from the unexpected high medical costs. One illness or accident can set you back. I went to the emergency room once, $15,000. Thank God I had health insurance. And with some of the enhanced products that I have, I can help with those costs on top of the health insurance. The other thing is free preventative care. The more you prevent disease, the earlier detection, the less disease you have. Then getting treatment. Here’s the one that everybody says, oh, I can just go to the hospital if I don’t have insurance, they can treat me. Well, it is true that, under the law, hospital has to treat you, but only if you present with a severe or life threatening condition, and after that, you’re still on the hook for that, and that cost gets passed on to the government, and you pay taxes on it, so lowering health care versus having to pay for the indigent at the hospital all makes for an unhealthy population. It’s not a good situation.”
If you need Thomson’s help, you can make an appointment over the phone.
She said, “I have some availability spotty this week and next week, but coming the third week of November, I’m pretty wide open. Just give me a call or a text and we can arrange for time. Sometimes just texting back and forth to give people that information is always a good thing, but my number is 305-767-3883, just give me a shout.”
What is the cost?
Thomson said, “It’s free. There’s no cost to consult. It’s always a free service with me. I’m happy to help. Just to mention, there was a seventh event that was added to the calendar for the diabetes education, and there will be free glucose and blood pressure screenings at these events. That’s kind of awesome, but I am here to help for open enrollment, get in touch with me at 305-767-3883.”
For more information, click here: https://monroe.floridahealth.gov/