Friday is the last day for Idahoans to sign up for health insurance for next year through Your Health Idaho, the state’s health insurance exchange.
Outside of the once-a-year open enrollment period, only people who experience what insurers call a qualifying life event – such as losing coverage, moving, having a baby or getting married – can enroll in policies on the exchange.
Your Health Idaho, which offers tax credits to Idahoans based on their income, will close its open enrolment period at midnight on 15 December. More than 110,000 Idahoans are enrolled in 2024 insurance plans on the exchange, executive director Pat Kelly said in a news release this week.
“Purchasing health insurance during open enrollment protects your well-being and gives you the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’re covered for the unexpected,” Kelly said in the release.
Idahoans can find out within minutes how much their tax credits would be, which could cover some or all of their monthly health insurance premiums, Your Health Idaho said in an October news release. The tax credit and health insurance are applied for on the same application, the release said.
More than 88% of people enrolled in plans through Your Health Idaho receive a tax credit, with about one in four receiving monthly premium-free insurance, the exchange said in the news release. The exchange says many Idahoans qualify for cost-sharing reductions, available only on silver plans, which provide additional savings on co-pays, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.
Enrollment in Your Health Idaho insurance plans is open to people who primarily reside in Idaho and must be considered a U.S. and Idaho resident for tax purposes, according to the exchange’s website. People who are incarcerated do not qualify. Potential enrollees must be U.S. citizens or nationals, or non-citizens who will be in the U.S. legally for the entire time they plan to have health coverage, according to the exchange’s website.
Idahoans with “unaffordable” insurance through their jobs can also enroll in Your Health Idaho, the news release said. Agents can help determine if employer-sponsored coverage is considered unaffordable, the news release said.
Your Health Idaho’s customer service centre has extended hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain time, the news release said.
Coverage for people who select plans during open enrollment will begin on 1 January 2024. Idahoans enrolled in coverage through Your Health Idaho will be automatically renewed, the release said.
