Enrollment Update: A Message from CEO Patty Fontneau

Happy Holidays! We are in our final push to enroll customers who want their coverage starting January 1, 2014. It is a busy time and we are working hard, in partnership with carriers and other partners, to ensure that your coverage will be in place.

• December 23 (Monday) is the deadline for signing up for health insurance that starts January 1, 2014. We strongly encourage customers who want the advance premium tax credit to apply by tonight to allow time for processing. Those who miss the deadline can still sign up for coverage until March 31, 2014.
• Customers who have signed up for health insurance are receiving invoices from their carriers. Customers who haven’t already received invoices should receive them within the next week. Enrollment data is being transferred daily to carriers, so you can check with your carrier to confirm your enrollment.
• Customers applying for an individual/family policy have until January 10, 2014, to make their first month’s premium payment. We encourage you to pay earlier. SHOP customers should speak to their agent/broker for enrollment deadlines and assistance.
• We’ve extended hours at the Customer Service Center to accommodate more customers. Representatives are available today and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday and 7 a.m. to midnight on Monday, Dec. 23. The toll-free number is 1-855-PLANS-4-YOU (855-752-6749). Volumes remain high and we recommend that you call early in the morning or in the evening.
• We are working with our State partners to get all of our customers through the financial assistance application process in time for January 1 coverage. However, in the event that any of our customers who applied for financial assistance by December 23 don’t receive their Medicaid determination, they can purchase health insurance and pay the first month’s premium and then get the tax credit applied to the rest of 2014 payments after receiving the Medicaid denial.
• Coloradans can also purchase health insurance until December 23 without applying for financial assistance and receive the tax credit, if eligible, when they file taxes in 2015.
• The federal government announced Thursday night that customers who have received cancellation notices have more options for accessing coverage and avoiding a federal fee for not having health insurance in 2014. You can get more information about the current process for receiving an exemption here. Here in Colorado, we are working with insurance carriers and State partners to review the new information and implement any changes, if necessary, to how we help Coloradans access health insurance. We will provide more information to our customers in the coming weeks.