Champions:

Congratulations, we have made it through the first month of the Marketplace Enrollment Period!  We still have five months ahead of us and new information and resources are coming out daily.  Below are resources, link to blogs, news, and updated tools. 

Champions are being added to the website on a rolling basis we hope to have all champions added within the next few weeks.  

Updated Marketplace Resources:

Marketplace materials products are being updated on a rolling basis http://marketplace.cms.gov/  

Two of presentations (slides and talking points) were updated in this week. You can access them here.

o Updated Health Insurance Marketplace 101 presentation

o Overview of the SHOP Marketplace

Affordable Care Act News:

November 1, 2013

A new report released today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that nearly half (46 percent) of single young adults who are uninsured and may be eligible for coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace could get coverage for $50 or less per month. “The health care law is making health insurance more affordable for young adults,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  “With nearly half of single, Marketplace-eligible uninsured young adults able to get coverage at $50 or less per month, the health care law is delivering the quality, affordable coverage people are looking for.” View more information here.

Helpful Tools and Information

Our HealthCare.gov content team monitors site traffic and user comments carefully. They’ve determined that the following HealthCare.gov pages are very effective in educating people about the Marketplace. In addition to information provided in our recently released Application Toolkit for Assisters, these tools will help consumers be well prepared to apply, choose a plan, and enroll.

Become very familiar with these pages and tools yourself, and refer people to them—especially those who are starting with little knowledge about the Marketplace and their options.

• Get covered: A one-page guide:  A quick overview of Marketplace options and ACA obligations.

• Kaiser Family Foundation calculator:  A simple tool that allows people to put in some minimum information and see (1) whether they may qualify for lower costs based on their income and household size; and (2) what prices they might pay for a sample Silver and Bronze plan.

• Quick Answer Tool:  Users answer a few questions and get links to content and a checklist customized to their specific circumstances. It may be useful to walk people through the tool and print out important content for the applicant to take home and read.

• How do I apply:  A one-page guide that explains the different ways to apply for Marketplace coverage.

Additionally, during this week’s webinar, we promised to provide you with links to some specific information.  

• Video of the Application and Enrollment Process:  For those of you who are interested in seeing the application and enrollment process from the start to the finish, please check out our video of the application and enrollment process posted on Marketplace.cms.gov.  There, you can access the demo tool and see the application process. It’s the first link on this page on Marketplace.cms.gov or click on “Get Official Resources”, then “Multimedia” and it’s the first link.

• Updating Information on: LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov: HealthCare.gov has an important resource to help consumers find help in their area. Consumers can search by city and state or zip code to see a list of local organizations with contact information, office hours, and types of help offered, such as non-English language support, Medicaid or CHIP, and Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP).

◦ If your organization needs to update or correct information on “Find Local Help,” you can request corrections or changes to the information posted on HealthCare.gov via the “Update Organization Information” page on HealthCare.gov. If a CAC designated organization wishes to add locations, we ask that it submit the request to CACQuestions@cms.hhs.gov. Please indicate in the subject line your organization’s name and the words “ADD LOCATIONS.” For example, “We Help Consumers – ADD LOCATIONS.” 

Enrollment Information:

We realize you are not doing enrollment, but you may get questions.

We are taking steps to meet the consumer demand for affordable health insurance. There are four basic ways to apply for health coverage through the Marketplace, and I want to tell you about them.

• Apply online. Visit HealthCare.gov to get started.

• Apply by phone. Call 1-800-318-2596 to apply for a health insurance plan and enroll over the phone. (TTY: 1-855-889-4325)

• Apply in person. Visit a trained counselor in your community to get information and apply in person. Find help in your area at LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov.

• Apply by mail. Complete a paper application and mail it in.  You can download the paper application form and instructions from HealthCare.gov.