January 4th, 2014 – Connect for Health Colorado reported that Medicaid and private insurance plans through the exchange reached over 138,000 Coloradans between it’s opening on October 1st and the end of 2013. Of those 138,000 enrollees, 52,773 enrolled in private insurance and 83,432 enrolled in the new expanded Medicaid programs.
If you applied for private insurance before December 23rd you have until January 10th for the insurance company to process your January premium and issue the policy for a January 1st effective date.
The next cut off date for new applications is January 15 in order to have health insurance coverage starting on February 1st. Applications submitted between January 16th and February 15th will have March 1st effective dates.
Tax Penalty Deadline Fast Approaching
To avoid fines and tax penalties you must have qualifying health insurance coverage by March 31st, 2014. For more information on getting private health insurance and Medicaid click here.
Open enrollment for private insurances continues through March 31st, 2014 and it will then close until it reopens again on October 15th, 2014. Medicaid enrollment is continuous year-round.
Pediatric Dental – Required By Law
Many people are surprised to see that they are required to have Pediatric Dental Coverage, which is one of the federal government’s 10 essential health benefits. Pediatric Dental is relatively inexpensive and provides health insurance benefits to children up to age 19.
All new health insurance policies that begin on January 1st, 2014 and later are required to have Pediatric Dental Benefits, regardless of your age, gender or if you have children. While some health insurance policies allow you to bypass purchasing Pediatric Dental Insurance, if you do not have this coverage you can be fined for not having an ObamaCare compliant policies.
