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West Virginia's Health Insurance Helpline

 
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1-844-WV-CARES West Virginia’s Health Insurance Helpline COVERAGE | ABOUT US | FAQ | EVENTS | CONTACT

1-844-WV-CARES

West Virginia’s Health Insurance Helpline

COVERAGE | ABOUT US | FAQ | EVENTS | CONTACT

 
Featured
New Changes

New, lower costs on Marketplace coverage

Starting April 1, you may be able to get more savings and lower costs on Marketplace health insurance coverage due to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Under the new law:

  • More people than ever before will qualify for help paying for health coverage, even those who weren’t eligible in the past.

  • Most people currently enrolled in a Marketplace plan may qualify for more tax credits.

  • Health insurance premiums after these new savings will go down.

Enroll or change plans with the 2021 Special Enrollment Period through August 15

You have through August 15 to enroll in or change your Health Insurance Marketplace® plan due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency.

If you already have a Marketplace plan

If you have Marketplace coverage, including if you recently enrolled through the 2021 Special Enrollment Period:

  1. Log in to update your application and enrollment starting April 1. Your new eligibility results will show you the extra tax credit amount.

  2. Update your plan selection with increased tax credits. If you qualify for more tax credit, reselect your current plan in order for the changes to take effect to lower your premiums for the rest of the year.

You can also wait until you file and “reconcile” your 2021 taxes next year (in 2022) to get the additional premium tax credit amount. But, we recommend you update your application and review your plan options during the 2021 Special Enrollment Period through August 15. You may be able to choose a plan with lower out-of-pocket costs for the same price or less than what you’re currently paying.

Call us for free help updating your application to make sure you get the new, increased subsidies available to you.

Changing plans — the deductible may reset

You can change Marketplace health coverage during the 2021 Special Enrollment Period through August 15.

But, it’s important to consider the new plan’s deductible — it’ll likely start over. If you change plans or add a new household member, any out-of-pocket costs you already paid on your current 2021 Marketplace plan probably won’t count towards your new deductible, even if you stay with the same insurance company.

Call your insurance company before changing plans or adding a new household member to find out if you’ll need to start over to meet your new plan’s deductible. If you have already paid a lot in out-of-pocket costs toward your deductible, check with your insurance company to see how it might impact you and what options are available to keep credit toward what you’ve already paid.

If you get unemployment compensation

You should apply and select a plan by the end of March for coverage to start April 1. After April 1, you can come back to update your application and confirm your current plan with the updated tax credits.

Later this year, you may be able to get another increase in premium tax credits. HealthCare.gov will have more information available in the summer once these additional savings are available to those who got unemployment compensation during 2021. At that time, you can come back to HealthCare.gov to update your application and current plan with more tax credits to lower your premiums for the rest of the year.