Open Enrollment for individual health insurance in Louisiana starts Nov. 1. It ends Dec. 15. This six-week period is much shorter than any previous year, and since the administration has decided to cut off most enrollment advertising, many of our friends and neighbors here who buy their own health insurance are unaware Open Enrollment has changed.
If you are a Blue Cross customer, watch your mailbox for information about your current plan and Open Enrollment for 2018 coverage. There have been a ton of changes to policies this year, driven by new definitions of coverage, new products in new service areas and new federal rules about the value of coverage and who has to pay how much. All of these things are important toward making sure you stay covered next year!
Remember, Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 is your only window to change coverage for the next year. After that, you won’t be able to switch plans without some sort of special reason. And, the feds have tightened the use of “special enrollment” periods dramatically, requiring hard, written proof before they will let you enroll in or change plans. So, your best bet is to stick to Open Enrollment.
Healthcare.gov is in shopping mode now and will go live next Wednesday, Nov. 1. We’ve already been notified that the site will be down for maintenance every Sunday from midnight to noon while Open Enrollment is going on, so no shopping or changing plans can take place then.
We’re here to help! Feel free to reach out to us at www.bcbsla.com, or call at 1 (800) 425-4828 to reach an individual agent trained to help you make the best choice for you and your family. Since you’ll most likely have to live with this policy for an entire year, it’s critical to make smart choices right up front.
Get moving and know your options now. Time is short!
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