Enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act

Time is running out to enroll for health care in the current enrollment period for the health care marketplace.

The current enrollment period ends February 15. To encourage people to sign up, the region five director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Falk is traveling across the state. We spoke with her about the process of enrolling. In the original roll out customers had to scroll through 76 screens to sign up. Now, that number is down to 16 screens.

“When you consider the information that you need to provide, everything from basic things like your address, your age, I think it’s, and then the complexity of the number of plans.” Falk siad. “I think it’s a very simple process.”

There are now 16 insurance providers in Ohio which is driving the insurance rates low. Muskingum County Health Commissioner, Corey Hamilton, said it is keeping the price down for those who need the most assistance.

“When you enroll in the market place it does evaluate what your income level is so it can determine whether or not you’re eligible for medicaid or medicare or if you’re eligible for subsidies,” Hamilton said. “Based on what their annual income is, the lower it is the more assistance that will be available to them, so Muskingum County should be extra beneficial for folks to get on the marketplace and enroll.”

Hamilton said the goal is to improve health by engaging people in high quality care.