Time is nearly up to enroll in Obamacare in Washington state
Jan 27, 2017, 5:40 AM | Updated: 8:35 am
This Oct. 24, 2016, file photo, shows the HealthCare.gov 2017 website home page on display, in Washington. Health insurance experts say the decision to buy 2017 coverage on the Affordable Care Act’s public exchanges shouldn’t boil down to a gamble over the survival of the law, which requires most people to have insurance. Instead, customers should focus on whether they can handle the financial risk that comes with remaining uninsured while they wait for Trump’s health care plan to crystallize. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
Faced with an uncertain federal future, the Washington Health Benefit Exchange – referred to broadly as Obamacare — has entered the final days for new patients to register for health plans in 2017.
The deadline to register as a new customer is Tuesday, Jan. 31. Julian Torres, a Wedgewood-based Washington Health broker said he’s been inundated with applicants worried about the deadline and President Donald Trump’s vow to end the federal health care plan.
Related: Obama, Seattle and the Affordable Care Act
“The incoming administration has been basically saying that, ‘We’re going to get rid of this or get rid of that,’” Torres said. “But the reality is that it’s going to be a while before those changes take place.”
King County Health officials report that the four-year-old program has resulted in a sharp decrease in the number of uninsured adults and children locally, dropping to 7.7 percent for adults from 16.6 percent three years ago.
“And there actually has been an enrollment increase this year when compared to last year of the number of people who are calling to get enrolled,” said Daphne Pie, the King County Health’s manager of access and outreach for the Affordable Care Act. “There’s been an increase statewide, too.”
Washington Health Benefit Exchange
As of last February, county records showed approximately 268,000 residents enrolled in plans covered under the Affordable Care Act. Statewide, the governor’s office has reported that more than 750,000 Washingtonians have health insurance under the law. Both numbers are expected to rise this year.
But health officials say they don’t know what the future will bring for the Affordable Care Act, the public insurance expansion former President Obama considered a crowning achievement but newly elected President Trump has vowed to shelve.
To that end, King County is making its late signup pitch reflect the uncertainty with the existing program.
According to the county’s health newsletter: “The Affordable Care Act may be repealed and replaced under the new federal administration, but there’s still time to take advantage of it. In fact, if you sign up by January 31, you should feel confident that your coverage will remain intact for the rest of 2017.”
Pie said the language was a direct outgrowth of the worried calls the county has been receiving. “The most questions we get are, ‘What’s going to happen?’ ” Pie said. “What we tell people is get your insurance now; you’re going to have insurance for 2017.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen beyond that.”
The act allows any uninsured adult and child regardless of pre-existing conditions to register for subsidized health insurance. Adults who earn less than $1,370 monthly are eligible for a heavily subsidized no- and low-income program. People who miss the deadline but have a “life-changing event” such as a job loss, might be eligible outside of the open enrollment period.
Adults above that income level pay on an income based, sliding scale of premiums – the portion of the act that has come under the sharpest attack as family and individual plan rates have soared.
For more information about signing up for Washington health care look here.
