As Open Enrollment begins for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace November 1, 2022, now is that critical time of year where you should review your current health plan and select a new plan that best fits you or your family’s needs for 2023.
One new item to be aware of this year that may impact your decision-making process is the Family Glitch Rule Change. What’s the Family Glitch, you say? Well, as part of the ACA, large employers had to offer their employees and their dependents the ability to enroll in health insurance. However, the employers do not have to help pay for the dependents’ health insurance. As a result, many employees had the option to buy health insurance for their families through their jobs, but they simply couldn’t afford it.
These families also were not eligible for financial assistance to help pay for a ACA Marketplace health plan – because the financial aid was only available to people who couldn’t get health insurance elsewhere. This became known as the Family Glitch.
To put it into perspective with numbers, more than 269,000 people in Florida had the option to get health insurance through a family member’s employer but couldn’t afford it – and they were also excluded from financial assistance programs on the ACA Marketplace.
Recently, the Federal Government made changes to fix this so-called Family Glitch. Now, many Floridians previously impacted by this scenario can get affordable health insurance on the ACA Marketplace.
If your job offers health insurance coverage, but it feels unaffordable to enroll your family, you should check to see if your family now qualifies for financial assistance to help pay for a Marketplace plan. A family of four in Florida with an income of $53,000 would save more than $5,000 on health insurance costs with these changes. In addition, 4 out of 5 people could find plans on the Marketplace that cost less than $10 per month after financial assistance.
So, if you’re selecting a health plan from the ACA Marketplace for you or your family, you must enroll by December 15, 2022 to start your new plan on January 1, 2023. However, the ultimate deadline to select a new plan from the ACA Marketplace is January 15, 2023. It’s important to note, enrolling between December 16, 2022 thru January 15, 2023 will cause your plan to start on February 1, 2023. Don’t delay, enroll today!
Need Help?
We’ve made it easy for you to gather as much information that you need and to get your questions answered. You can talk to a licensed Florida Blue agent who can walk you through your options, help you apply for financial assistance and get you enrolled by visiting FloridaBlue.com.
Or, stop into one of our six (6) local Florida Blue Centers here in Central Florida for some great unexpected health solutions year round.
Our Florida Blue Centers offer an array of in-person and virtual services including:
- Face-to-face help with your insurance questions
- Personal assistance with finding a doctor, referrals, pharmacy questions and other needs navigating the health care system
- Health and fitness classes that are free to the public like yoga, Zumba, and stress management
- Special events offering $0 vaccines for the public
- Personalized support managing health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure
- Health Coaching and Caregiver Support
- Plus, community resources to assist with things like housing, food, transportation and so much more!
To find the Florida Blue Center nearest you, click “Find A Center” on FloridaBlue.com.
Or, if you can’t make it in-person, you can talk to them on the phone or schedule a video chat by calling 877-352-5830.
