VLAA Every Artist Insured: Tuesday, 4 December 2018

Every Artist Insured Get covered. Stay covered.

FREE One-on-One Enrollment Assistance for Artists
Co-presented with Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTLC)
at the St. Louis Artists' Guild, 12 N. Jackson in Clayton
Tuesday, December 4, 3:00 PM-7:00 PM

Get unbiased in-person guidance from trained certified application counselors. The one-on-one sessions for Missouri residents demystify the process. See if you qualify for subsidies. Compare plan prices and coverage details. Renewing coverage? If your income has changed or you’d like to shop for a better deal, we encourage you to make an appointment. Appointments will be made on a first come, first served basis, and reservations are required. Please contact us (include your phone number) to make an appointment. 

Open enrollment ends on Dec. 15. Visit HealthCare.gov to explore your insurance options.

St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts (VLAA) works with partners around the region to make sure you are aware of the insurance options that are available under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how the law affects you. Here’s what you need to know for 2019:

Short Enrollment Period
Open enrollment on HealthCare.gov ends on Dec. 15. To build awareness about the short enrollment window, we’ll be running a Twitter campaign. Remember, if you don’t act by Dec.15, you can’t get 2019 coverage unless you qualify for special enrollment due to a “life event,” such as losing other coverage, getting married or having a baby.

Pre-existing Conditions
Health insurers that provide HeathCare.gov plans can't deny coverage or charge more because of a pre-existing condition, such as asthma, diabetes or cancer.

Shop and Save
Plans may cost less than you think — nearly 90 percent of Missourians who enroll on HealthCare.gov qualify for financial help to lower the cost of their monthly premiums. For example, a 40-year-old non-smoker who lives in St. Louis and earns $30,000 a year can pay $201 per month for a Silver plan. But enrolling in an affordable plan or staying covered may require some shopping around. Two companies, Cigna and St. Louis-based Centene, will be offering plans for St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County residents, so there will be options to explore.

Short Term Plans: Be Cautious
Under new rules, insurers have been given more latitude to sell short-term plans that will be far cheaper than more comprehensive plans. Read the fine print. Limitations on specific treatments may be included, limits on the amount of care covered are typical, and be aware that a pre-existing condition may disqualify you entirely. More: Understanding Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance.

Individual Mandate Penalty Eliminated
The ACA included a mandate for most individuals to have health insurance (or obtain an exemption) or pay a penalty. The repeal of the penalty was included in the 2017 tax law. It goes into effect after Dec. 31, 2018. Technically, elimination of the penalty does not remove the requirement to obtain healthcare coverage. But without penalties there will be no enforcement and, in effect, no practical mandate to obtain coverage for 2019 and beyond.

Free Enrollment Assistance
Although the administration reduced federal grants to enrollment assistance organizations by 40 percent, free in-person help is still available. Find Missouri assistance here, Illinois assistance here, or attend our next enrollment session on Dec. 4.

If You Income is Very Low
Missouri is one of 14 states that has not expanded Medicaid, so many Missouri residents face a frustrating coverage gap. That's because non-disabled adults without children aren’t eligible for Medicaid or for subsidies to offset the cost of private insurance. If you're in this low-income group, you may be able to obtain access to health care by contacting Gateway to Better Health, a program for uninsured adults in St. Louis City and County. Or you could move to Illinois, where Medicaid was expanded!

www.vlaa.org
314/863-6930
vlaa@stlrac.org
6128 Delmar
St. Louis, MO 63112