With the passing of the Affordable Health Act we have experienced many changes in the health
insurance market; one of the biggest changes is the way we are able to buy individual health insurance coverage.
In the past, if we needed to buy health insurance we were able to submit an application to the
health insurance companies at any time throughout the year, but the companies could deny your application based on pre-existing conditions. With the new law in place, pre-existing conditions are no longer considered but this comes with a catch. Now all individual health insurance policies, whether they are purchased through the Exchange or directly through a company, must
be purchased during the open enrollment periods unless a person experiences a qualifying event. Qualifying events can be: Loss of health insurance due to a job loss, marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, or moving outside of your current coverage area.
Remember, don’t wait until you get sick or need to see the doctor to try to get health insurance as these are not qualifying events. Instead, take the time to meet with a qualified agent during open enrollment to discuss your options. This year open enrollment runs from November 15th, 2014 through February 15th, 2015.