Days before the window closes on open enrollment, a record-setting 226,447 Arizonans had signed up for 2023 Affordable Care Act health insurance coverage.
The deadline for Arizonans to purchase 2023 health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace is technically midnight Sunday, but Arizonans will have three extra hours − until 3 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, which is midnight Hawaii time, according to Claudia Maldonado, director of outreach and enrollment for the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers.
Affordable Care Act insurance is also commonly known as Obamacare, named after former President Barack Obama who made health care reform a signature priority.
Obamacare is private health insurance with federal subsidies to help pay for it for those who qualify. The insurance is available to purchase on marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act. A majority of Americans who purchased Obamacare/ACA plans for coverage in 2022 qualified for subsidies, federal data shows.
Four out of five Americans who purchase 2023 Obamacare/ACA health insurance can find plans for $10 or less per month when subsidies are included, federal health officials say. Several factors may affect pricing, including age, income, geographic area, and the tier of plan that one buys.
Open enrollment began Nov. 1 and a federal report released Jan. 11 says nearly 16 million U.S. residents had already signed up as of Jan. 7, including nearly 227,000 in Arizona, which is a record-high level of enrollment in the state since Obamacare insurance first became available for coverage in 2014. The largest number of Arizona enrollees had previously been 205,666 in 2015, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
To be eligible for coverage, Arizonans must be U.S. citizens or be lawfully present in the country and must not be incarcerated.
In Maricopa County, which is Arizona’s most populated county, eight insurers are selling plans: Ambetter from Arizona Complete Health; Banner|Aetna; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona; Cigna; Imperial Insurance Companies; Medica Community Health Plan; Oscar Health Plan; and UnitedHealthcare of Arizona
In Pima County, which is Arizona’s second-most populated county, four insurers are offering plans: Ambetter from Arizona Complete Health; Banner|Aetna; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona; and UnitedHealthcare.
The marketplace created by the ACA, often called Obamacare, is for working-age people who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid (the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System) and don’t have other health insurance coverage. Some states have their own insurance exchanges. Arizona uses the federal exchange, which operates via the website healthcare.gov and CuidadoDeSalud.gov or at 800-318-2596.
Free help is available to enroll, but it could be more difficult to obtain so close to the enrollment deadline. Arizonans may call Cover Arizona toll-free at 800-377-3536 or go to www.coveraz.org to find nearby assistance.
Arizonans can go directly to insurance companies to sign up for coverage, or to a broker.
Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at [email protected] or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on Twitter @stephanieinnes.
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