LITTLE ROCK, AR (News release) – Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Allen Kerr today advised Arkansans who are considering health insurance options that the deadline for Open Enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace is quickly approaching.
“If consumers are interested in receiving tax credits to help pay their monthly premiums, the place to go is the Health Insurance Marketplace,” Kerr emphasized. “The federal government will only provide income tax credits for Arkansas residents who enroll in Marketplace plans. Now is the time for consumers to consider their health insurance options in the Marketplace.”
Arkansas consumers may learn details about their health insurance options, whether they are eligible for tax credits, and may enroll directly, all through https://www.healthcare.gov/.
Consumers may also seek the help of a licensed insurance agent or broker or a licensed assister. Lists of agents, brokers and assisters are posted on the Arkansas Insurance Department’s website. The website also includes an interactive tool that allows Arkansans to view information about plans available to them, including price, benefits, deductibles and other details.
Those lists and tools can be found on the Department’s Arkansas Health Connector Division page at http://ahc.arkansas.gov/.
Kerr urged consumers to call the Department if they have any questions.
“Customer service is key for everything we do at the Department,” Kerr said. “We strive to help insurance consumers to the best of our ability. We maintain a knowledgeable and thoughtful staff to assist with consumer inquiries.”
Consumers may contact the Arkansas Health Connector Resource Center at the Insurance Department at 1-855-283-3483 or aid.info.ahcd@arkansas.gov.
The federal call center is available to help consumers as well at 1-800-318-2596.
Open Enrollment for 2015 plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace in Arkansas ends at 2 a.m. on Monday, February 16. The federal deadline is February 15, but variances in the cut-off time account for time zone differences, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
On average, Arkansans with Marketplace plans in 2014 paid $94 a month out of pocket toward their premiums and received a monthly tax credit of $293 toward their premiums.
Through February 1, there were 55,254 Arkansans enrolled in the Marketplace plans for 2015.
Marketplace plans are sold by private health insurance carriers. Those carriers for Arkansas are: Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield Multi-State, Celtic Insurance Company (doing business as Ambetter Arkansas), QCA Health Plan Inc., and QualChoice Life and Health Insurance Company Inc.
Marketplace rates are projected to drop in 2015 on average by approximately 2 percent from 2014.
