JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – You only have a few more hours to sign up for health insurance for the fall. This is outside of the traditional open enrollment period.
Sunday is the final day for the American Rescue Plan enrollment period. This allows Americans to sign up for health insurance for the remainder of 2021. This is your last opportunity outside of a life-changing event such as getting married, having a baby, moving to a different state or losing coverage through your employer.
“This would be full coverage insurance, so this would cover things you’d think of like medication, ER visits, primary care visits, preventative care services, hospitalizations, maternity, people don’t think of all the time,” said Joshua Stewart, Senior Director of Florida Blue Center. “If you think about the average COVID-19 hospitalization being a little more than $73,000 -- that’s a lot of money for a pandemic. When you think of Northeast Florida having 85,000 uninsured individuals, that could really be a disaster for a family’s financials.”
The process of signing up takes between 15 and 45 minutes depending on factors, according to Stewart. You’ll need some information before you begin the process.
“First, the names of the doctors, and a list of medications you need, that’s going to be the main focal point for you to get the quality plan that you need. And it will help you shop. Secondly, you’re going to need to have a little information on your household size and your income and that’s going to help see what you apply for tax credit,” Stewart said.
You can sign up through floridablue.com. If you call 855-714-8894, people will be able to assist you until 8 p.m. Sunday.
Healthcare.gov is another site or you can call 1-800-318-2596. Enrollment closes at 3 a.m. ET (12 a.m. PT).