For the millions of Americans who remain uninsured, there is just a little more than five months remaining to change their status to insured.
The opportunity to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act ends March 31. Americans under the age of 30 have some of the best plans available on healthcare.gov, like the Catastrophic Plan, which helps to prevent high medical costs from major accidents or diseases. This health care plan is available for individuals with minor health care needs.
Texas State Director of Enroll America Mimi Garcia said their program has seen families of four in the Houston area who make around $50,000 a year paying about $85 a month to insure their whole family.
“We want everyone to know all of their options out there. Especially for students coming to the end of their college graduation … more and more jobs offering health care are becoming harder to find,” Garcia said.
Among the many benefits of the ACA is the ability for anyone under the age of 26 to have the option of remaining on their parents’s health insurance plan or getting their own plan to cover their needs.
“We know that even though young adults value and want health insurance, they haven’t been able to afford it in the past,” said Anne Filipic, president of Enroll America, in a press release.
For students, enrolling in their university’s health care plan, such as the one available at UH for every semester and summer session, will also count as approved health care under the Affordable Health Care Act.
“The new healthcare gives you more security … (and) allows you to purchase your own healthcare at an affordable rate. (It helps) avoid students having medical and loan debt. You can’t predict when you’re going to be sick,” Garcia said.
A tax penalty, which is pro-rated based on the length of time one is uninsured after March 31, 2014, will be levied with annual tax filings, Garcia said.
Just because someone is quoted doesn’t make it true. Yet the Daily Coog is notorious for reporting quotes like facts. Look up the term propaganda. This piece isn’t news, only repeating propaganda from “Enroll America.” Speaking of, look behind the curtain of “Enroll America” and what do you see? Obama admin/campaign veterans with lobbyists for the hospital, insurance, and pharma industries. Like “Battleground Texas” mentioned in another Daily Coog “News” piece, “Enroll America” is about as “grassroots” as something created by Karl Rove.
Did anyone bother to follow up and actually check to see how much a plan costs? $85 a month for a family of four???? Really? I see no mention of co-pay’s/deductibles. Is that for a reason? How much does a plan for a healthy student with UH’s student insurance cost? More than $85 a month, and that’s for one person. Come on, do at least a little bit of research. The same should be said of anyone reading the Daily Coog.