The deadline for enrolling in a health insurance plan has passed, but some Americans are getting a final chance to sign up for health coverage.
The Obama administration recently announced a Special Enrollment Period for Americans who didn’t sign up for health insurance for 2015 and owe a fee for not having coverage in 2014.
The special enrollment opportunity is from March 15 through April 30.
You need to meet these requirements in order to qualify for the SEP, Healthcare.gov said:
- You didn’t understand that the health care law requires you to have insurance (until after Feb. 15) or you didn’t understand how not having insurance would impact you.
- You were assessed a fee for not having health insurance in 2014.
- You haven’t yet enrolled for qualifying health coverage for 2015.
If you’re still not sure if you’re eligible, click here.
If you don’t get health insurance in 2015, you’ll be assessed a fee. The penalty is $325 per person or 2 percent of your household income, whichever is higher. In 2014, the fee was $95 per person or 1 percent of household income.
According to TribLIVE, this last chance enrollment opportunity is meant to give the uninsured a chance to get coverage and avoid a fee.
“We’re not in the business of looking for ways to collect fees or penalize people,” Kevin Counihan, CEO of the federal government’s online insurance marketplace, HealthCare.gov, told reporters.
Have you enrolled in a health insurance plan for 2015? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.
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