Open Enrollment is here from November 1 to January 15. This year’s Marketplace offers more affordable coverage options and more consumer-friendly tools to assist with shopping for healthcare plans. People not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or employer insurance can shop healthcare plans at Healthcare.gov.

If you are like most people, the thought of being able to find the perfect plan for you and your family is both appealing and overwhelming. That’s where the free assistance available from licensed Navigators supported by Covering Kids and Families of Indiana (CKF) is invaluable!

CKF Navigators connect qualified uninsured people to benefits that help their health, their finances, and their communities. Navigators can help both prospective and current Marketplace consumers explore options and take advantage of this year’s new policies. These include:

• A Fix of the “Family Glitch”—making many families previously ineligible for the Marketplace, now eligible. Previously, if you had a health insurance offer through your employer, and it covered your spouse but was unaffordable for your spouse’s coverage, you were still not eligible for marketplace subsidies. The new rule is based upon whether the total cost of family coverage is affordable.
• The Inflation Reduction Act which extends premium tax credits through 2025 for eligible consumers enrolling in the Marketplace.
• Cost Sharing Reductions and Advanced Premium Tax Credits which help reduce and/or manage out-of-pocket premium costs.
• Requirements that health plan providers offer better price comparison tools and standardized plan options that share common features.

Heart of Indiana United Way’s CKF Coalition Director Julie Barton and coalition navigators assist people as they explore their options and determine the final cost of plans. Navigators are unbiased and their services are FREE. They help ensure plans are accepted by the medical providers people choose. And they assist those that are income eligible enroll in appropriate Indiana State Health Insurance plans such as the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), Hoosier Health Wise, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)—which is Hoosier Health Wise Package C, with a greater income threshold to assist working families provide health coverage for their children.  

More than ever, CKF Navigators are focused on helping traditionally underserved people access affordable Marketplace coverage. Navigators are employed by hospitals and health centers throughout Madison County. Navigators also partner with Madison County Health Department to offer information and enrollment opportunities at its mobile unit stops. (See Madison County Navigators Insert)

Anyone in Indiana can access help with health insurance information and enrollment thanks to CKF Navigators. Appointments, including virtual options, can be made at www.ckfindiana.org or by calling 1-888-975-4CKF. Information is also available by calling Heart of Indiana United Way at 765-608-3062.