Quick Takes

Open enrollment for federally subsidized health insurance ends Jan. 16. Kentucky enrollment already ahead of last year’s.

Jan. 16 is the deadline to sign up for health insurance on the Kynect marketplace. (Getty Images)

Kentuckians can still shop for and enroll in federally subsidized health insurance coverage on the state-based marketplace, Kynect, though Jan. 16 for coverage starting Feb. 1. That will be the end of open enrollment for 2024.

To sign up, Kentuckians can visit?kynect.ky.gov?or call 855-459-6328. They can also get help at a local Department for Community-Based Services office from a Kynector or a licensed health insurance?agent?at no cost.

“They’ll guide you through the process of finding quality, affordable health care coverage that’s best suited for you and your family,” Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday at his weekly press conference.

Kentuckians who don’t have coverage through an employer, Medicare, Medicaid, the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program, or the Pentagon’s Tricare program can shop for individual coverage on Kynect.

The Kynect website also provides a?prescreening tool?to see if your family may be eligible for benefits.

A?Kentucky Voices for Health?blog post about the open-enrollment process said four of five Kentuckians are eligible for tax credits that can make premiums less than $10 a month, and many are eligible for $0 monthly premiums.

As of Jan. 4, Beshear said 71,414 Kentuckians have signed up for health insurance through Kynect, 8,852 more than last year. “This, I believe, is our strongest year, at least since the relaunch” of the state-based exchange, he said.

“Three years ago, I made it a priority to relaunch Kynect, because I believe health care is a basic human right,” said Beshear. “Today, I’m pleased to see so many Kentuckians taking advantage and receiving the benefits they deserve.”

Four carriers offer health-insurance plans through Kynect: CareSource, Passport by Molina Healthcare, WellCare of Kentucky and Anthem. All counties have at least two carriers to choose from, with most counties having three carriers and many with four.
All plans offered on the marketplace cover 10 essential health benefits, including emergency services, hospitalization, lab services, prescription drugs and certain no-cost preventive services.

This article is republished from Kentucky Health News, an independent news service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, based in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Kentucky, with support from theFoundation for a Healthy Kentucky.

 

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Melissa Patrick, Kentucky Health News
Melissa Patrick, Kentucky Health News

Melissa Patrick, staff reporter for Kentucky Health News, is a registered nurse and holds degrees in journalism and community leadership and development from the University of Kentucky. She has received several competitive fellowships, including the 2016-17 Nursing and Health Care Workforce Media Fellow of the Center for Health, Media & Policy, which allowed her to focus on and write about nursing workforce issues in Kentucky, and the year-long Association of Health Care Journalists 2017-18 Regional Health Journalism Program fellowship.

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