Health Insurance

FEDERAL RESOURCES

  • The American Rescue Plan of 2021, which President Biden signed into law on March 11, 2021, reduces health care costs, expands access to insurance coverage and addresses health care disparities. Click here for a fact sheet on the related provisions included in the American Rescue Plan.
  • Starting on April 1, consumers will be able to take advantage of increased premium tax credits on high quality health care plans when they enroll in coverage through HealthCare.gov. 
  • The Plan removes the current cap that makes any family with income above 400% of the poverty level ineligible for any subsidies.
  • An individual will not have to pay more than 8.5? of their income for a silver plan in the ACA marketplaces.
  • Individuals below 150% of the poverty level will pay no premiums at all compared to 4% of their income before passage of the American Rescue Plan. 
  • Any individual who receives unemployment at any point in 2021 will be treated as if their income were 133% of the poverty level for the purposes of the ACA marketplace subsidy. As a result, they can purchase an ACA silver plan for zero premium.
  • Through September 2021, a 100% subsidy is available for individuals who lose their job and choose continuation health coverage, otherwise known as COBRA, to continue their existing employer-sponsored health coverage. Before passage of the American Rescue Plan, those who wanted to choose COBRA were required to pay the full cost of their coverage, including the employer contribution, making the cost prohibitive. 
  • The American Rescue Plan also incentivizes the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid to do so by temporarily increasing the base Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) by five percentage points for two years for any state that newly expands. If all 12 remaining states expanded Medicaid, more than 2 million uninsured people would gain access to Medicaid.

STATE RESOURCES

  • The Maryland Health Connection Coronavirus Special Enrollment Period has been extended to August, 2021 for uninsured Marylanders to sign up for health insurance. This deadline aligns with the federal special enrollment period extension announced by President Joe Biden for the 35 states that use healthcare.gov, the federally-run health insurance marketplace.
  • Now through August 15, 2021, uninsured Marylanders can sign up for health insurance through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. Here are the dates coverage will begin, depending on what day you enrolled in a health plan:
    • Enroll now-April 15, coverage starts April 1
    • Enroll April 16–May 15, coverage starts May 1
    • Enroll May 16-June 15, coverage starts June 1
    • Enroll June 16-July 15, coverage starts July 1
    • Enroll July 16-Aug. 15, coverage starts August
  • Those who are eligible for Medicaid can enroll any time of year. Health coverage through Maryland Health Connection covers costs for coronavirus tests at doctor’s offices, urgent care centers, or emergency rooms. 1
  • Click here to learn more about how to apply, what you need to apply, and dates of coverage.
  • Free help is available over the phone from more than 700 certified navigators and brokers at marylandhealthconnection.gov/find-help/. In addition, individuals can call 1-855-642-8572 toll-free from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Help is available in 200 languages. Deaf and hard of hearing use Relay. Marylanders can also apply for coverage using the free mobile app, Enroll MHC.
  • For the latest updates from Maryland Health Connection, please click here.