Newsletter

OPEN ENROLLMENT ENDS JANUARY 15

The Open Enrollment Period for Affordable Care Act plans ends January 15. (The period to enroll for plans  with an effective date of January 1 was extended to December 18, but the last day of open enrollment remains January 15 unless a last-minute extension is announced.) This means that those who did not enroll for an effective date of January 1 can apply through January 15 for an ACA plan with an effective date of February 1.

Those who do not enroll for an Affordable Care Act plan with an effective date of either January 1 or February 1 can enroll thereafter ONLY if they have a qualifying life event, which includes moving outside of the present plan’s service area; losing entitlement to Medicaid; birth or adoption of a child; divorce; and loss of employer group coverage.

Please contact us at 786-970-0740 if you have any questions or need help enrolling for a plan.

MARKETPLACE ENROLLMENT SNAPSHOT

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Marketplace 2025 Open Enrollment Period Report: Third National Snapshot on December 20. CMS is committed to creating a robust Marketplace Open Enrollment process for consumers so they can effortlessly purchase high-quality, affordable health care coverage.

CMS reports that a record 16.6 million consumers signed up for plan year 2025 and will receive up to a full year of coverage beginning January 1. Of those consumers, two million are new to the Marketplace this year. This represents selections in the thirty-one states that use healthcare.gov. Plan selection continues in most State-based Marketplaces, as well. The next national snapshot will be available in early January.

Marketplace Open Enrollment on HealthCare.gov runs from November 1 to January 18. Most consumers who enroll between now and January 18 will get coverage starting February 1, 2025.

In an effort to provide the most meaningful data on consumer activity, CMS will report 2025 Open Enrollment national-level data on a regular basis.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND MEDICAID UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP?

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Republican President-elect, Donald Trump, arrives to speak during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 5, 2024

Getty Images

The following article was written by Joshua P. Cohen for Forbes and appeared in the December 11 issue of that magazine.

It’s unlikely the Affordable Care Act will be repealed during the next Trump administration. But several major changes are probable, including cuts to premium subsidies which could lower enrollment substantially and attempts to deregulate the ACA by eliminating mandatory coverage of certain essential benefits while introducing separate insurance pools for healthy individuals and those with chronic conditions. Likewise, Medicaid will in all likelihood face budgetary cutbacks and efforts to erect barriers to eligibility that could downsize the program.

During his first term as president, Trump tried to repeal the ACA, often referred to as Obamacare. But he failed. In January of this year, Trump repeated his repeal pledge before backtracking on the idea in March, asserting in a post on Truth Social that he instead wanted to make the ACA “better.”

The perennial problem for Republicans who’ve wanted to get rid of the ACA is that the law contains provisions that are popular with voters. These include guaranteed coverage along with community rating for people with pre-existing health conditions; subsidies for individuals who purchase health insurance on the federally run state marketplace exchanges; and permission for those under twenty-six to remain on their parents’ insurance plans.

The ACA is a comprehensive reform law, enacted in 2010, that seeks to increase health insurance opportunities for the (previously) uninsured and implements a wide range of reforms to the health insurance market as well as an expansion of Medicaid, the public program that provides coverage to people with limited income and resources.

Importantly, under the ACA, individuals who may have been uninsured due to preexisting conditions or insufficient finances can secure affordable health plans through the health insurance marketplace established by the law.

Under the Biden administration, individual coverage under the ACA has experienced record levels of enrollment in 2022 and 2023. Enhanced premium subsidies for folks signing up for ACA coverage played a key role. Around 45 million Americans are now enrolled in healthcare arrangements that are part of the ACA exchanges, with approximately 21 million Americans having obtained health insurance through the ACA in 2024. The vast majority, close to 20 million, received premium subsidies.

About Paul Cholak

Paul has over forty years of benefits experience and has been Director of Employee Benefits for large companies, as well as a benefits consultant with major consulting firms. He understands the health and life insurance needs of individuals and families of all ages. He also has considerable experience in selling health and life insurance to employer groups.

He guides you through the steps of getting health and/or life insurance and is available to help you both BEFORE and AFTER you've made your purchase decision.