'The time is now' to enroll under Affordable Care Act, group urges as deadline nears

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – With just a month remaining for enrollment in year two of the Affordable Care Act, a coalition is urging anyone who is uninsured to check out the health insurance options and subsidies available.

“The time is now. We have 30 days left of open enrollment,” said Erin Knott, Michigan director of Get Covered America.

In the first year of enrollment, the uninsured rate in Kent County dropped from 16 percent to 10 percent, Knott said. Health care agencies are holding enrollment events and providing application assistance in an effort to reach those who remain uninsured.

Knott spoke at an event Friday, Jan. 16, at the Grand Rapids Public Schools Administration Building that included Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell and Kathleen Falk, Region V director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Falk talked about improvements in the online health insurance marketplace, healthcare.gov, that make it an “easier, simpler application process.”

"From what was about 76 screens that you would scroll through to enroll last year, it’s now down to about 16 screens, so it’s a whole lot easier,” she said. “You can even apply on your smartphone.”

Those who are re-enrolling this year will find most of their information is already in the system, she added.

Falk also spoke about the subsidies available, based on income, to help pay health insurance premiums.

“Eight out of 10 nationwide can buy this very high quality insurance for $100 or less a month,” she said. “We know right here in Michigan 89 percent can get financial assistance when they buy this health insurance.”

Heartwell said 272,000 people in Michigan obtained health insurance last year through the online marketplace, including 15,000 in Kent County.

“There is a true hunger among consumers for the insurance options that are available,” he said. “They no longer have to worry about being one broken bone or one emergency room visit away from bankruptcy.”

Heartwell also pointed out that, under the Affordable Care Act, the plans must cover doctor’s visits, hospital visits, maternity care and prescriptions and that coverage can’t be denied because of pre-existing conditions.

State Rep. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said the Affordable Care Act provides equal access to women to affordable care “for the first time in history.”

Consumer protections under the law mean insurers can’t require women to pay out of pocket for preventive care such as mammograms and screenings for cancer and diabetes, she said.

“In the past, women could be denied coverage or charged more than men simply because they were pregnant,” she added. “Under the old system, women could even lose coverage if their children became sick.

Of those who enrolled or re-enrolled in marketplace plans through Dec. 15, 56 percent are women, Brinks added.

David Wenzel, a writer who runs his own business, RobinHood Ink, spoke about his experience seeking health insurance while battling a brain tumor. Under the Affordable Care Act, he was able to get an affordable insurance plan, he said.

To research and enroll in a plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace, go to healthcare.gov.

Assistance is available form health care navigators through Cherry Health. For information, call 866-299-1339, or email AffordableCare@cherryhealth.com.

Sue Thoms covers health care for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her at sthoms1@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

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