Final Obamacare special enrollment opens Sunday, runs through April 30
By: Chabeli Herrera
For consumers who chose to go without health insurance in 2014, income taxes this year came coupled with a new fee.
Starting Sunday, they’ll have one last opportunity to sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act — and avoid another, higher fee next year — during a special enrollment period that will run through April 30.
The fee for failing to get insurance in 2014 was $95 or 1 percent of household income, whichever is greater. For those who don’t obtain coverage by April 30 this year, the fee will rise: $325 or 2 percent of household income.
This is the first year consumers are being charged for not obtaining health insurance. It is also the first time those who signed up through the marketplace will be expected to fill out one or more of three new healthcare-related tax forms.
Andy Slavitt, principal deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said CMS is focused on making the tax filing and fee process as seamless as possible in its first year.
“Right now this means raising awareness and making sure tax filers know they have to have insurance,” Slavitt said.
He cited a McKinsey & Company study published this week, which reported that about 41 percent of the uninsured population was not aware that there was a penalty for forgoing coverage.
Slavitt said that’s one reason the tax special enrollment period was opened. He said this is the only year it will be offered.
Kevin Counihan, CEO of the ACA marketplace, said consumers who have not enrolled in the 2015 marketplace for coverage will qualify for the special enrollment period if they owe a fee for 2014, did not know about the initial open enrollment period from Nov. 15 to Feb. 15, and were unaware of the individual mandate to get covered. Consumers will have to fulfill all three criteria to qualify.
Those who sign up in this special enrollment period will still have to pay the fee for 2014, Counihan added.
It’s not the first special enrollment period this year. Glitches on the HealthCare.gov site during the last week of open enrollment spurred the creation of a week-long special enrollment period for consumers who experienced technical issues while trying to sign up.
In 2014, a similar period ran from the end of open enrollment on March 31 to April 19.
Milton Vazquez, a spokesman for nonprofit healthcare enrollment organization Get Covered America, said misinformation about penalties was common among consumers whom the organization helped enroll this year.
“Some folks assumed it [the fee] would only be $95,” Vazquez said. “They weren’t aware that it ramped up substantially this year.”
The fee for going without coverage will continue to increase. In 2016, those who are uninsured and do not qualify for an exemption will have to pay $695 or 2.5 percent of their household income, whichever is greater.
Vazquez said reaching people when they file their income taxes will likely decrease the level of healthcare misinformation for next year’s enrollment.
“I can’t imagine a better way to reach out to as many people as possible,” he said. “This way is probably going to have the highest impact of any single outreach method that has been tried thus far.”
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THIS STORY WAS PRODUCED IN COLLABORATION WITH KAISER HEALTH NEWS, AN EDITORIALLY INDEPENDENT PROGRAM OF THE KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION.
SPECIAL ENROLLMENT EVENTS IN MIAMI-DADE AND BROWARD COUNTY:
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Monday, March 16, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Miami Office), 1200 NW 78th Ave., Suite #400 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Biscayne Office), 1900 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 200 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Homestead Office), Tower Professional Building, 151 NW 11th St., Suite 400 in Homestead.
▪ 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Coalition of Florida Farmworkers Organization, 778 West Palm Dr. in Florida City.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Community Center, 5000 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 110 in Miami.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at CFS North Lakeview, 11500 NW 12th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Allapattah Neighborhood Enhancement Team, 1901 NW 24th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Miami Dade College North Campus, Building 1, Room 1164, 11380 NW 27th Ave. in Miami.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Miami Office), 1200 NW 78th Ave., Suite #400 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Biscayne Office), 1900 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 200 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Homestead Office), Tower Professional Building, 151 NW 11th St., Suite 400 in Homestead.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at CFS North Lakeview, 11500 NW 12th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Miami Dade College North Campus, Building 1, Room 1164, 11380 NW 27th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Miami Dade College Hialeah Campus, Building 2, Room 2413, 1776 W. 49th St. in Hialeah.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Miami Office), 1200 NW 78th Ave., Suite #400 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Biscayne Office), 1900 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 200 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Homestead Office), Tower Professional Building, 151 NW 11th St., Suite 400 in Homestead.
▪ 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Miami Dade College North Campus, Building 1, Room 1164, 11380 NW 27th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Miami Dade College Interamerican Campus, Business Building, Room 3207, 627 SW 27th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Community Center, 5000 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 110 in Miami.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Allapattah Neighborhood Enhancement Team, 1901 NW 24th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at CFS North Lakeview, 11500 NW 12th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Coalition of Florida Farmworkers Organization, 778 West Palm Dr. in Florida City.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Miami Office), 1200 NW 78th Ave., Suite #400 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Biscayne Office), 1900 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 200 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Homestead Office), Tower Professional Building, 151 NW 11th St., Suite 400 in Homestead.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Building 1, Room 1164, 300 NE 2nd Ave. in Miami.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at CFS North Lakeview, 11500 NW 12th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Miami Dade College North Campus, Building 1, Room 1164, 11380 NW 27th Ave. in Miami.
Friday, March 20, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Miami Office), 1200 NW 78th Ave., Suite #400 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Biscayne Office), 1900 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 200 in Miami.
▪ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Catalyst (Homestead Office), Tower Professional Building, 151 NW 11th St., Suite 400 in Homestead.
▪ 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Miami Dade College North Campus, Building 1, Room 1164, 11380 NW 27th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Community Center, 5000 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 110 in Miami.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Allapattah Neighborhood Enhancement Team, 1901 NW 24th Ave. in Miami.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at CFS North Lakeview, 11500 NW 12th Ave. in Miami
Saturday, March 21, 2015
▪ 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Miami Dade College Homestead Campus, Building D, Room D307, 500 College Ter. in Homestead.
▪ 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Coalition of Florida Farmworkers Organization, 778 West Palm Dr. in Florida City
BROWARD COUNTY
Monday, March 16, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Broward Office), 512 NE 3rd Ave. – 3rd Floor in Fort Lauderdale.
▪ 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Shore Medical (FMC Campus), 5000 W. Oakland Park Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Broward Office), 512 NE 3rd Ave – 3rd Floor in Fort Lauderdale.
▪ 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Shore Medical (FMC Campus), 5000 W. Oakland Park Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.
▪ 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Holy Cross Hospital, 4725 N. Federal Hwy. in Fort Lauderdale.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Broward Office), 512 NE 3rd Ave – 3rd Floor in Fort Lauderdale.
▪ 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Shore Medical (FMC Campus), 5000 W. Oakland Park Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.
▪ 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Holy Cross Hospital, 4725 N. Federal Hwy. in Fort Lauderdale.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Broward Office), 512 NE 3rd Ave – 3rd Floor in Fort Lauderdale.
▪ 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Shore Medical (FMC Campus), 5000 W. Oakland Park Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.
▪ 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Holy Cross Hospital, 4725 N. Federal Hwy. in Fort Lauderdale.
Friday, March 20, 2015
▪ 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida (Broward Office), 512 NE 3rd Ave. – 3rd Floor in Fort Lauderdale.
▪ 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Shore Medical (FMC Campus), 5000 W. Oakland Park Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.
Visit http://www.getcoveredamerica.org/connector/ for additional enrollment sites near you.
