Do you have health insurance? If you don’t, you can now enroll in a health insurance enrollment plan during the open enrollment period, which is Nov. 1 to Dec. 15.
Navigating the health insurance enrollment process isn’t always easy and may be confusing. That is why on Saturday, November 18, the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital and Eskenazi Health campus will host a special opportunity for Central Indiana residents to learn about and apply for various health coverage opportunities.
Health insurance is important for many reasons. It covers essential health benefits that are crucial to maintaining your health and treating illnesses and accidents. Health insurance protects you from high, unexpected medical costs and provides free preventive care like vaccines, screenings and some check-ups.
How much do you think medical care costs? It’s pretty easy to underestimate the actual costs of care. For example: fixing a broken leg can cost up to $7,500, the average cost of a three-day hospital stay is around $30,000 and comprehensive cancer care can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When you have health coverage, it can help protect you from high costs like these.
If you want to enroll in a health insurance plan, do so during this time. Outside of the open enrollment period, generally enrolling in a health coverage plan can only be done if a person qualifies for a special enrollment period such as a certain life event (marriage, a birth of a child or change in health insurance coverage). This is why it is important to enroll within the open enrollment period as it may be difficult to enroll in the future.
Enroll Indianapolis Day at Eskenazi Health will allow the public to learn about options offered through the Affordable Care Act, Healthy Indiana Plan – HIP 2.0 and to sign up on-site for one of the marketplace insurance plans. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital, 720 Eskenazi Ave. Free parking will be available in the Eskenazi Health Parking Garage.
Eskenazi Health has a dedicated staff of more than 60 navigators to assist with health insurance enrollment, and a toll-free phone number — 1-855-202-1053 — is available to connect with staff who can answer questions and provide assistance in using the online marketplace. Everyone in attendance will receive a free health insurance information kit from Eskenazi Health. Attendees will have the chance to speak with navigators and ask questions about health insurance and the enrollment process. The navigators are there to make enrolling in a health insurance plan easier.
The health insurance marketplace is designed to provide access to available health coverage plans. More information about the marketplace is available at www.healthcare.gov/. In addition, information about Enroll Indianapolis Day at Eskenazi Health is available at www.eskenazihealth.edu and by calling 1-855-202-1053.
Nydia Nunez-Estrada, M.D.
Family Medicine
Eskenazi Health Urgent Care East