Health Connector Launches Insurance Enrollment Drive in North Adams
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Health Connector officials are urging citizens to explore their health insurance options during this enrollment season.
Open enrollment runs from Nov. 1 through Jan. 31. With expected rises in health insurance premiums under the federal Affordable Care Act, it behooves people to look over their plans and update their accounts.
The word from the Health Connector is it's the time to shop for the best plan.
"A lot of time people think there's not an affordable option because they read the press like that, but there actually are very affordable options," Vicki Coates, the state Health Connector's chief operating officer, said. "It's best for everybody that they try."
Staging enrollment promotions at "Hidden Gems" around the state, Coates, Ecu-Health Care Executive Director Karen Baumbach and Mayor Richard Alcombright kicked off the Western Massachusetts swing at Greylock Works on Tuesday morning.
The former Greylock Mill was selected for the Berkshires promotion because of its history, heritage, and future. The former textile mill has parts dating back to the 1830s and is undergoing an $18 million, multi-year restoration into an artisan food production facility, hotel, residential and hospitality space.
"We have over 500 people that are insured today through the connector in the North Adams area and we hope to increase that," said Coates, standing in the massive open Shed portion of the mill, and overall, about 250,000 people across the state.
"We're still going after the last bit of uninsured in Massachusetts," she said. "There's still about 4 percent uninsured and there's a lot of new residents coming into the state and we want to make sure they know their options."
Baumbach said some 300 letters have been sent out to clients warning of premium increases and Ecu-Health Care is reaching out to individuals who may be losing tax credits in 2017.
"In our area, specifically, those in Health New England and CeltiCare plans will experience some dramatic increases in those premiums," she said. "As these individuals are faced with making changes regarding their health plans due to costs, Ecu-Health Care is available to assist with new plan enrollment."
Plans range in average from zero to $300 a month, with the lowest income individuals seeing from zero to about $140 a month. Coates and Baumbach said many people may be able to lower their costs by stepping down a plan, or qualify for more subsidies just by updating their income information.
While some states are also seeing a loss of health insurers, that's not the case in Massachusetts. There are still 10 insurers and five that participate in the Health Connector. One insurer has left the market but connector officials said it only covered about 500 customers.
"We're lucky that we have some regional health plans, very strong local health plans ... they all participate on the connector," said Coates. "Yes, you see those things [about loss of insurers] on the national press. We're lucky they're not happening in our local market. ...
"We do a competitive bidding so we have very competitive bids that have held premiums down, even dropped some premiums. ... We do think there are affordable options out there between what people make, the state subsidies, the federal subsidies and what people bid on."
The connector is doing outreach to young people especially between the ages of 26 and 31 (your parents can keep you on their policy to 26), Hispanics and new people moving into the state who may not know their options.
"Some people think insurance is unaffordable," said the mayor. "The resulting issues of not having insurance is much more unaffordable ... if you don't have insurance and you're burdened by thousands and thousands of dollars of bills ... that's just going to haunt you forever."
Baumbach offered her own perspective, on how she had continually complained about the cost of premiums coming out of her husband's paycheck while they were raising three children. Then she was diagnosed with cancer.
"I decided to figure out best I could what I had paid out in health insurance and what my actual medical expenses would have been," she said, throwing her hands up. "And I will never complain about another premium in my life."
Ecu-Health Care stands ready for the fourth year to help residents navigate to the best, most affordable plan with a cadre of trained counselors.
Baumbach urged people to call and set up an appointment to review their current accounts or to see if they qualify for lower-cost subsidized insurance.
"I think the message of the connector is this is the year you should be shopping," said Coates.
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