Updates on the Affordable Care Act and Healthcare.gov

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Healthcare.gov website continue to be much in the news, and several important updates have taken place recently. The Healthcare.gov website has undergone a number of updates related to the numerous technical problems previously encountered, and the site now has a new look. Three options are immediately presented to visitors to the site: See Plans Before I Apply; See If I Can Get Lower Costs;  and Apply Now for Health Coverage. The deadline for coverage beginning January 1, 2014 has also been extended to December 23, 2013. Regular scheduled maintenance to the site has provided software improvements and hardware upgrades such that “90 percent of users are now able to create accounts” (Health Insurance Marketplace update Nov. 27, 2013). In addition to online enrollment, there are still three other options available: via the Marketplace Call Center (1-800-318-2596), completion of a paper application form submitted via mail, and speaking in person to a trained counselor via LocalHelp.Healthcare.gov . New information regarding the SHOP (Small Business Health Options Program) Marketplace is now available at: http://marketplace.cms.gov/getofficialresources/publications-and-articles/faqs-on-shop-enrollment.pdf . Organizations identified as Champions for Coverage continue to be added to the growing list, and the NN/LM SCR is now identified as a Champion for Coverage. Hard copies of materials to distribute throughout enrollment are avai...
Source: Network News - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: Consumer Health General (all entries) Source Type: news