{"id":5247,"date":"2014-11-15T13:14:20","date_gmt":"2014-11-15T18:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/?p=5247"},"modified":"2016-01-25T11:22:14","modified_gmt":"2016-01-25T16:22:14","slug":"open-enroll-starts-today-november-15th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/2014\/11\/open-enroll-starts-today-november-15th\/","title":{"rendered":"OPEN ENROLL STARTS TODAY – NOVEMBER 15TH"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Deadline\"<\/a>If you did not get health coverage previously under the Affordable Care Act, you can enroll in a plan<\/a> for next year starting Nov. 15. And if you are already covered, you can change or renew your plan for next year. If you don\u2019t sign up by Feb. 15, 2015, you will be without coverage until January 2016 unless you have a qualifying life event .<\/p>\n

There are at least three key components to choosing an ACA plan that is right for you and your family: Benefits, premiums and the network of doctors and hospitals.<\/p>\n

Benefits:<\/b><\/p>\n

All ACA plans are required to cover \u201cessential health benefits\u201d as described in the law. And all individual plans must cover preventive health benefits entirely.<\/p>\n

Beyond these requirements, consumers have choices when it comes to how much they pay out-of-pocket for covered services. Plans are broken into four categories \u2014 bronze, silver, gold and platinum. As these names suggest, bronze plans have the highest deductibles and co-payments, platinum the lowest.<\/p>\n

When shopping for a plan, look for the \u201cSummary of Benefits and Coverage\u201d which describes what the plan covers. Also be sure to review each plan\u2019s prescription drug formulary to see what drugs are covered. Or call the plans you\u2019re considering and ask about any specific services you think you might use in the coming year.<\/p>\n

Premiums<\/b><\/p>\n

Health plans across the nation have been preparing customers for changes in rates from current plans for the new ACA enrollment period.\u00a0 Generally speaking, the higher your out-of-pocket costs, the lower your premiums are. This tradeoff between rates and out-of-pocket costs is an important element to consider when shopping for coverage, CLICK HERE FOR YOUR NEW 2015 RATE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Federal subsidies help consumers pay for coverage through the ACA. If your household income is between 100% and 400%\u00a0of the\u00a0federal poverty level, you do not have coverage through an employer, and you meet certain other requirements, you will be eligible for a federal subsidy to purchase a plan through the exchange.<\/p>\n

Networks<\/b><\/p>\n

Another important consideration for consumers is whether their current physicians and hospitals are in-network. Going outside the plan\u2019s network typically results in higher charges \u2014 sometimes significantly higher. And some plans don not cover services provided outside their networks.<\/p>\n

If you have had coverage before, or have a current plan, do not automatically assume your doctors will still be in-network for a new or renewed plan. It is best to check each time you go through an open enrollment period. All ACA plans are required to tell consumers which providers are in the plan\u2019s networks. When shopping, look for the link to the provider directory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information on Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina health insurance coverage in North Carolina, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com<\/a> or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our experienced and professional agents.\u00a0 Let us help you navigate through the Health Care Reform changes in accordance with the new regulations of The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama care<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you did not get health coverage previously under the Affordable Care Act, you can enroll in a plan for next year starting Nov. 15. And if you are already covered, you can change or renew your plan for next year. If you don\u2019t sign up by Feb. 15, 2015, you will be without coverage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[539,525,23,540,820,53],"class_list":["post-5247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bcbsnc-insurance","tag-aca","tag-affordable-care-act","tag-bcbsnc","tag-exchange","tag-health-care-reform","tag-health-insurance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5247"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7374,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5247\/revisions\/7374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nchealthplans.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}