It's Health Care Enrollment Season

Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace begins on November 1st and ends on December 15th. Since we are also in the middle of the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, it is important to note that Medicare is not part of the ACA Marketplace.

• Medicare provides coverage to people who are 65 or older, paid into Social Security or Railroad Retirement, have End-Stage Renal Disease or ALS, or are eligible because of SSDI or a Railroad Retirement Board disability pension.
• The ACA Marketplace offers coverage for people who don’t have other forms of health coverage and are not eligible for Medicare.
• Medicare beneficiaries don’t need to do anything in the ACA Marketplace enrollment period to maintain coverage.
• Please note that it is illegal for someone to knowingly sell a Medicare beneficiary an ACA Marketplace plan. 

ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment is the time for people without Medicare to shop around and find a plan that meets their needs. The ACA requires that everyone have a healthcare plan that meets a standard for “minimum essential coverage.” Medicare beneficiaries with Part A satisfy that requirement, while those with only Part B do not.
The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 – December 7) is the time for Medicare beneficiaries to enroll, review current coverage and make any changes for the coming year.
         

Although ACA Marketplace enrollment doesn’t involve Medicare beneficiaries, the ACA did many things to strengthen Medicare. Just like ACA Marketplace plans, Medicare now covers preventive services such as mammograms and colonoscopies. Medicare Beneficiaries also get a free yearly wellness visit and significant drug discounts in the Part D Donut Hole coverage gap, and the Donut Hole will close completely by 2020. ACA also extended the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund to 2029.

Americans with pre-existing conditions can’t be denied a plan on the ACA Marketplace and traditional Medicare is stronger than ever. The unfortunate rhetoric about the ACA being a “disaster” isn’t true.