Connecticut’s health insurance exchange is giving residents a little longer to sign up for coverage.
Access Health CT announced Tuesday that to enroll in coverage for 2022 its extended the deadline from Dec. 15 to Dec. 31.
Residents who enroll between Dec. 16 and Dec. 31, 2021 will have the option to choose whether their coverage will start January 1, 2022 or Feb. 1, 2022. Customers who enroll between Jan. 1, 2022 and Jan. 15, 2022 will have coverage beginning Feb. 1, 2022.
“We are grateful to work with our carrier partners to give Connecticut residents more time to enroll in a quality health insurance plan with coverage for the whole year,” Access Health CEO James Michel said. “Gaps in health insurance coverage can be costly and given that we have yet to emerge from the pandemic, access to quality, affordable health insurance has never been more important. We do, however, ask that customers exercise patience as their insurance company will need some time to get insurance ID cards out in the mail.”
Enrollment this year has been brisk.
Michel said sign-ups during this year’s open enrollment period were tracking between 5% and 10% higher than prior years. So far, roughly 100,000 residents had signed up for health insurance plans, he said.
Although reduced-cost plans are generally available for residents below certain income thresholds, more people currently qualify for assistance as a result of the American Rescue Plan Act, which buffed the subsidies and extended them to families earning more income than prior years.
Connecticut received $85 million over the next two years to help lower monthly premiums.
So even though the Insurance Department approved rate increases for most plans, Connecticut residents may still be able to reduce their monthly costs.
For free online help, residents may visit AccessHealthCT.com. Live chat is available by clicking the “live chat” icon to connect with a customer service representative in real-time. Live chat is available Monday – Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., and select Saturdays from 9:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Residents may also contact our call center at 1-855-805-4325, Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and select Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
