Update Your Health Plan: Report Changes Keep Plan Up

If you experience a change to your income or household â like a pay raise, a new household member, or a dependent getting other coverage â you must update your Marketplace application.

• Some changes will qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period, allowing you to change your plan.
• Some changes, like an increase or decrease in income, may affect your savings or coverage eligibility. If you donât update, you may miss out on additional savings or pay money back when you file your taxes.

Getting Help With Health Insurance

Not sure where to begin? At HealthPartners, we help people in Minnesota and western Wisconsin find the right plan with the right coverage.

Whether its open enrollment time or you have a special enrollment period, were here to help make things simple. That way, you can choose a health insurance plan youre confident in.

Q My Baby Was Born In An Ontario Hospital But We Are Only Visiting Ontario For A Short Period Can We Use The Ontario Health Coverage Infant Registration Form To Register Our Baby For Ontario Health Coverage While We Are Here

No. Tourists, transients or visitors are not eligible for OHIP coverage. For a child born in Ontario to be eligible for Ontario health insurance coverage they must make their primary place of residence in Ontario, and be physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days in any 12-month period to retain OHIP coverage.

If you are visiting Ontario from another province or territory in Canada, contact your home province/territory regarding health insurance coverage for your baby and any insured services received while visiting Ontario.

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Your Doctor Stops Accepting Your Insurance

It’s good for your health to work with healthcare providers you trust, according to research.

For example, a 2014 PLOS One analysis of 13 studies found that a positive doctor-patient relationship can make a real difference for conditions such as asthma, obesity, and osteoarthritis pain.

But right now, provider lists are in flux at a number of health insurers, so you can’t assume that the doctors you prefer who currently take your insurance will do so in 2017.

What to do Contact the billing departments of the healthcare providers you want to see and make sure they will continue to accept the specific insurance product you now have.

Check with your preferred hospital as well and confirm with your insurer.

If key healthcare providers are not on the 2017 list for your insurer, you may need to ask which insurance products they will accept in 2017 and consider a new plan.

How To Change Your Obamacare Health Plan

Your search for affordable Health, Medicare and Life insurance starts here.

Call us 24/7 at or Find an Agent near you.

Need to know how to change your Obamacare health plan? Many Americans who signed up for an Affordable Care Act plan have their plans set to automatically renew during the annual Open Enrollment Period .1,2

In addition to having your enrollment in your current health insurance plan automatically renewed, you may also have tax credits or subsidies automatically renewed.3 This can be a huge convenience to many Americans, as it means that they won’t have to go through the headache of trying to navigate the health insurance marketplace again.

Pay close attention to the letter you receive from your insurance company, as insurance premiums are rising.4 In this case, you may want to opt for a new plan to balance the rising costs of your insurance.

Don’t want to be automatically re-enrolled in your current plan? Perhaps your monthly premiums are expecting to go up, or it doesn’t provide you with the coverage you need for your personal health needs. Don’t worry. You can change your Obamacare health plan if you want, and you don’t have to stick with the same plan indefinitely.

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Changes You Can Make Online

During open enrollment you can make certain changes online using PEBB My Account. You can:

• Change your medical and dental plans.
• Remove dependents from your coverage.

Note: Please print or save your confirmation page when youve completed your changes. Check back in two business days to verify the coverage you selected and your spouse or state-registered domestic partner coverage attestation is correct.

When you submit an online plan change, please wait two business days to make any additional online plan changes.

Should I Use Cobra Insurance

If you were fired from your job or decided to quit, then you would trigger a qualifying life event. In this case, a special enrollment period would be activated in which you would have two options: purchase a new health insurance policy or extend your current coverage under COBRA.

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act is an insurance law that temporarily extends job-based insurance coverage offered by employers. This law allows employees to keep their group health insurance plans when normally they would lose coverage after being fired. However, selecting COBRA can be expensive because your employer no longer will contribute to premium payments.

You can voluntarily drop your COBRA coverage or stop paying premiums on a COBRA policy, but it is important to know that this would not be considered a qualifying life event. Therefore, you would not be eligible for a special enrollment period if you wanted to purchase individual health insurance. For this reason, if you were recently fired or quit, we recommend evaluating the costs of ACA health plans and COBRA plans before choosing one as your policy.

Also Check: What’s Cobra Health Insurance

Q Do I Need To Notify The Ministry If My Baby And I Are Leaving The Province

You should contact the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care with any change of address for both you and your baby. If you move to a location outside Ontario, you should inform the ministry of your new address and the date of the move as soon as possible. To inform the ministry of your move, you can either :

• Obtain a Change of Information for you and your baby. Complete and sign the form and return it by mail. Forms are available from your local ServiceOntario Centre or from Forms Online.

• Send a letter to your local ServiceOntario centre. You must include your names, health numbers, telephone number, current address, new address including postal code, and the effective date of the move for yourself and child.

Q Are Internationally Adopted Children Exempt From The 3

Effective April 1, 2009, changes were made to Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act which provides an exemption from the three-month waiting period for Ontario health insurance coverage for children adopted internationally by Ontario residents.

Exemption from the Waiting Period for OHIP

• The child has an OHIP-eligible citizenship/immigration status. OHIP-eligible citizenship/immigration statuses are listed in Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act more information can be found on this topic under the fact sheet OHIP Eligibility.
• The adoptive parents can provide confirmation that they have received director approval, provided by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, of their international adoption under Ontarios Intercountry Adoption Act.

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Special Enrollment Periods For Health Insurance

Special enrollment periods are so named because thats exactly what they are: special. During a special enrollment period, only you and your family have the chance to decide on new coverage options.

Special enrollment periods are triggered by specific events, including:

• Getting married, divorced or legally separated
• Giving birth or adopting
• Starting, ending or losing a job
• Losing other health insurance coverage
• A death in the family
• Moving to a new ZIP code or county
• Certain other qualifying events

If one of these events applies to you, youll usually have 60 days to switch to a new plan or make changes to your existing one.

Just like with open enrollment, you can shop around and compare plans by talking to your existing health insurance provider, your broker or visiting your states health insurance marketplace. In some cases, youll need to provide evidence of your qualifying life event before enrollment is complete.

When Can I Change A Plan

You have two opportunities:

• During open enrollment. Open enrollment for 2022 has ended.
• During special enrollment. You’re eligible if you’ve had certain changes in your life, also called qualifying events.

These are the only times you can change a plan. If you miss open enrollment, or dont qualify for a special enrollment period, youll have to wait.

Also Check: When Is The Deadline To Apply For Health Insurance

What To Know Before You Cancel Your Health Insurance

Canceling health insurance is easy most of the time. But getting a new health insurance plan isnt always so simple. Thats why you should never terminate your coverage until you know exactly when a new health insurance policy will take effect.

Federal law allows administrators of group health plans to impose up to a 90-day waiting period. So if you land a new job that offers health insurance, you may have to wait nearly three months before your health insurance takes effect.

Young adults can remain on their parents group health insurance policy until age 26, even older in some states. While getting your own policy might seem like a step toward independence, staying on your familys health insurance plan might prove more economical. If youre younger than 26, you can stay on a parents health insurance policy even if you get married, go off to college, or move out of your folks house.

Canceling your health insurance coverage may also create more risks if you dont get a new plan. Uninsured children are less likely to receive preventive care, vaccinations, and treatment for serious conditions such as asthma, according to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Uninsured adults often dont receive care for deadly conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, and often dont seek medical attention for injuries.

If You Experience A Qualifying Life Event Sign Up Right Away

In most situations, youll need to make changes to your health plan within a specific time frame of the qualifying life event.

• Changes can most often be made either 30 or 60 days after the qualifying life event happen
• Missing this deadline could mean having to wait until the next open enrollment, which could be as long as a year

If youve experienced a qualifying life event, check your plan materials, contact your employer or call the phone number on your member ID card.

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Important Information About Changing Your Cover

Waiting periods apply to any new or upgraded service. This includes excess upgrades such as changing from a $500 to a $250 excess. If you downgrade your cover, and want to upgrade later, you’ll need to serve waiting periods for the upgraded services. You’ll remain covered for any services you’ve already served your waiting period for, provided they’re included on your new cover.

Your payments will change due to a change in cover. If you ask us to change your cover from a future date, you’ll still pay your current premium until that date. We’ll let you know if your payments need to be adjusted.

It’s also worth noting that any benefits paid under your previous level of cover will count toward your new yearly limits.

Ready To Switch Health Insurance Plans Heres What To Keep In Mind

Whats the right health insurance plan? Everyone wants to know, but the truth is theres no easy answer. The right plan is different for everyone, and thats because health is different for everyone.

However, there are a few things you can compare and consider to help choose a plan thats right for you:

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Can You Use Your Hsa Funds

Yes, you can continue to use your HSA dollars. Your insurance coverage status does not change how you can use your account. Whether you have new coverage that is not a high deductible plan, or no insurance coverage at all you can still use your HSA balance.

No matter what, you must still follow the IRS rules for purchases with those HSA dollars. As long as you use the funds for eligible healthcare expenses, you can continue enjoying tax-free distributions.

Q What If My Baby Wasn’t Born In Hospital Or Attended At Home By A Registered Midwife

You will need to visit a ServiceOntario centre to register your child for Ontario health coverage.

If you visit a ServiceOntario centre within 90 days of the birth of your child you need to bring :

• confirmation of the baby’s birth, through either a letter from the hospital or attending physician, or a Certified Statement of Live Birth from a provincial office of the Registrar-General
• your residency document
• your identity document

If you visit a ServiceOntario centre more than 90 days after the birth of your child you need to bring :

• your child’s citizenship document

Refer to the question “What documents should I bring when I register?” or to the Ontario Health Coverage Document List for a complete listing of approved documents.

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Life Events And Special Enrollment

Typically, you are not able to change or purchase health insurance plans in the ACA Marketplace after the close of Open Enrollment. The last day of Open Enrollment is January 31 of the year in which your policy will take effect.

There is an exception, however. A life event is a sudden change that requires that you be given a new opportunity to get insured. The life events that will allow you to change or purchase health insurance during a Special Enrollment period include:

• The birth of a child
• Adoption
• Relocating to a different state
• Losing a job-based health insurance plan
• Losing health insurance as a dependent

Q Doesn’t The Government Already Know About This Death A Death Certificate Has Been Issued

It is important to notify the ministry as soon as possible when an insured person dies. The attending physician forwards this information to the ministry but this may take some time and the doctor is not responsible for the collection and return of the health card. The person who is looking after the affairs of the deceased must return the health card to the ministry.

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Aging Out: Max Looks Forward To His 26th Birthday

Max is a graphic designer at a Philadelphia magazine. Though his employer offers health coverage, Max found it easier to remain on his parents’ health plan. But after he turns 26 in several months, he wont be eligible for his parents’ coverage anymore. Because aging out of your parents’ plan is a qualifying life event, Max can enroll in his employer’s plan the day after his parents coverage ends . He’ll now have to pay for his own coverage, but he’s glad he has access to quality health care.

Other types of health coverage loss include:

• Losing existing health coverage, including job-based, individual, and student plans
• Losing eligibility for Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP

What If I Missed Open Enrollment And Don’t Have A Qle

If you missed open enrollment and do not have a qualifying life event, then you may be eligible for a public program such as:

Both of these options have year-round enrollment and can be helpful for families who cannot afford individual health insurance. Another option if you are not eligible for Medicaid could be temporary or short-term health insurance. These types of plans are offered directly from an insurer and can be purchased at any time without a qualifying life event. But these policies can be costly and may lack benefits like prescription drug services.

Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the authorâs opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.

Health Insurance Basics

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Q What If My Photo Health Card Is Lost Stolen Or Damaged

You can call the ServiceOntario INFOline at 1-866-532-3161. For TTY service, call 1-800-387-5559 to report your lost, stolen or damaged health card.

If the card is a photo health card you will be sent a new one right away but if there are additional changes to your information, like an address change or name change, then you need to visit a ServiceOntario centre.

For information regarding ServiceOntario centres in your area call the ServiceOntario INFOline at 1-866-532-3161.

If you find your reported lost or stolen health card, keep it only until your new photo health card arrives in the mail and then destroy the old health card because it will no longer be valid. Make sure you have your new photo health card before destroying the old health card.