The Republicans in Congress have made several attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, but all attempts have failed after a few Republicans defected in approving repeal efforts after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that repeal of the law would result in tens of millions of Americans losing healthcare coverage. It would be naïve to believe the Republicans have altogether given up their efforts to repeal Obamacare, but for now the Affordable Care Act appears to not be going away anytime soon.
One of the major roadblocks to a successful Social Security disability claim is the limited access to healthcare some claimants experience. If a claimant has impairments they can’t treat for, it is very difficult to prove the impairments that limit their ability to work. One resource all claimants who lack healthcare coverage need to consider is Obamacare, which can provide low-cost access to healthcare coverage.
Each year there is an open-enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act. More information about enrollment can be found here. This open enrollment period, which is November 1 to December 15, 2017, for 2018 is for new people who are not currently enrolled in Obamacare as well as those who need to renew their plans. There are many questions new enrollees have about cost and what types of programs are available, so it is valuable to provide some information that may help people navigate their options.
The Health Insurance Marketplace
This is where you will find all different sorts of plans that have different coverage and are variably priced. There are a few things people who are looking for plans should consider and have ready when looking over plans, sort of a marketplace check list:
- Information about your household size. Figure out who in your household should apply before you start your application. Visit HealthCare.gov/income-and-household-information/household-size for help figuring out who needs coverage;
- Home and/or mailing addresses for everyone applying for coverage.
- Information about everyone applying for coverage, like addresses and birth dates;
- Social Security Numbers;
- Information about the professional helping you apply (if you’re getting help completing your application). Visit HealthCare.gov/help/whos-helping-me-complete-my-application for more information;
- Document information for legal immigrants. Visit HealthCare.gov/help/immigration-documenttypes for more information.
- Information on how you file your taxes;
- Employer and income information for every member of your household (for example, from pay stubs or W-2 forms—Wage and Tax Statements). Visit HealthCare.gov/income-and-householdinformation/income to learn more about what types of income to include and not include.
- Your best estimate of what your household income will be in 2018. Visit HealthCare.gov/incomeand-household-information/how-to-report for help estimating your income;
- Policy numbers for any current health plans covering members of your household;
- A completed “Employer Coverage Tool” for every job-based plan you or someone in your household is eligible for. (You’ll need to fill out this form even for coverage you’re eligible for but don’t enroll in.) Visit HealthCare.gov/downloads/employer-coverage-tool.pdf to view or print the tool;
- Notices from your current plan that include your plan ID, if you have or had health coverage in 2017.
