Time is running out.
Tomorrow is the deadline for you
to sign up for health care coverage
through the Affordable Care Act.
So we have experts to help
you navigate that process.
Catherine CVI is with AARP of North Carolina.
Morgan Campbell is with alliance
insurance services and Laura Packard
is with get America covered now.
They're all here to answer your questions,
and here's how it works.
All you have to do is text us your question.
The number is
336-379-5775. Remember this is a text only.
Please don't call, but we can answer
all kinds of questions when it
comes to health care and health care
coverage as well as Medicare as well.
All right. First and foremost, Laura.
Let's start with tomorrow's deadline.
What do folks need to know about the deadline
when it all starts and all that jazz?
OK, if you don't have health
insurance right now, you should go to
healthcare.gov before midnight tomorrow,
January 15th to enroll,
and this is the deadline for
the open enrollment period.
The standard one for everybody.
If you have life changes such as having
a baby, getting married or divorced,
or moving to a different county,
you may be eligible to get
insurance later if you lose.
Your insurance through your job,
but for most people tomorrow is the deadline.
So go to healthcare.gov and Sign up today.
OK, so that is what you need to do
now if you're thinking to yourself,
I'll just let whatever I had last
year be what I'm going to have this
year or I'm just going to pick the
first thing that's on the list.
Morgan, let's talk about that because
I know that there are a lot of
plans that are decently inexpensive,
like maybe $10 a month for the premium.
And they all have different coverage points.
They all do have different coverage points
and also let's talk about the network.
If you are a novant person and you might
have been automatically enrolled in a plan
that just uses atrium Wake Forest Baptist,
that's gonna require you to give
up your novant positions so
you have to check that network.
Also, you need to look at the
drug coverages that are built in
because there's been some changes
as far as their work Co pay.
Some plans do have copays.
Other plans than now.
We'll have a coinsurance split,
so you might have a drug that you
were used to paying $40 for and
now you might actually pay 84,
so check your formulary,
check your network and your doctors
right. Because just because your doctor
was in your network last year does not
mean that your doctor is going to be in
your network this year in that same plan,
so you have to do all of the checking.
OK, so we've got ACA. We've got health
care enrollment that is tomorrow.
Now let's talk a little bit about Medicare.
Catherine, because while the
main yearly enrollment is over,
anyone who is of a certain age has a
certain timeline to sign on for Medicare.
So let's go through that.
Juror, so if you are approaching
your 65th birthday three months
before the month of your birthday,
or three months after you
need to sign up for Medicare,
whether or not you are working,
you need to check in and either
indicate and sign up for Medicare
or indicate that you have
coverage through your employer
that meets Medicare standards.
The important thing about that too,
is you need to look at.
Enrolling in Part B Medicare.
Because if you miss that window and
decide later that you want that coverage,
you will pay a penalty,
not just for one year,
but but continuously for
every year that you missed.
OK, so 65. That is the Magic Age and
whether you are still working or not,
you still have to sign up for Medicare
and then you can defer things.
But you must sign up,
otherwise you will pay a penalty.
Do not miss that folks,
because that is a problem and that is
something that we want to talk about.
All right. The other thing we want to
talk about also is the home tests.
So the COVID at home tests they're
going to be covered by the government
starting tomorrow. So Morgan,
what do we need to know about that?
So starting tomorrow,
if you go to your local pharmacy and
you were able to purchase a rapid test.
Please keep your receipt.
I would also tell you keep the box.
We do not have clear clarification.
Right now as to exactly how that
reimbursement process is going to work,
so you will have to manually
file that reimbursement with
your health insurance company.
Yeah, I know the best case scenario
is that the administration was
trying to push companies to partner
up with like a CVS or whatever
so that you could just go there.
If you had that insurance and just
get your at home test and not have to
worry about paying for it upfront.
But that is not the case at the
moment as we're seeing that that's
how it's working out.
Is that correct?
That's correct at the moment.
What we do know for a fact
is that you are only allowed
eight tests per month for every
person that's in your household.
That's on your insurance plan,
and we do know that as of.
Tomorrow it will be set up
as a reimbursement feature,
so you will have to file
that claim yourself.
OK, keep that receipt people
and keep the box right.
We are just starting our Q&A of health care,
open enrollment and Medicare as well.
Make sure you get your text questions in.
We're going to take a quick break.
We'll be right back.