Assistance with choosing a plan and accessing savings available at no cost in Bend on December 4 Noon-4pm at the East Bend Library, 62080 Dean Swift Rd.
Oregonian can get help enrolling in health insurance at www.HealthCare.gov at enrollment open houses across the state starting December 2.
Insurance agents and certified application assisters will be available to help leading up to the important deadline of Dec. 15, the last day to enroll to have coverage in place on Jan. 1, 2015.
Register for the Bend event at: http://bit.ly/14SUtSI
“Oregonians are using HealthCare.gov for the first time, either to renew or purchase new insurance, and there are lot of things to consider when choosing a plan,” said Aaron Patnode, executive director of Cover Oregon. “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to choose a plan that fits their family’s medical needs and budget, and talking to an insurance expert can help them make an informed decision.”
Anyone looking for in-person help with HealthCare.gov should come to an enrollment open house, whether they currently have private insurance that they purchased through Cover Oregon and need help re-enrolling at HealthCare.gov, or they are enrolling for the first time. They can expect to get help filling out the application and finding out how much they can save on insurance costs. They can also talk to an insurance agent about their health plan options.
People are asked to pre-register for the events at the “Register” links and let friends and family members know about events taking place in their area. They should have the following information handy for every person that is applying for coverage when they come to the event:
• Social security numbers, if you have one
• Non-citizen ID number, if you have one
• Income documents, self-employment records or an estimate of your yearly income
A statewide consumer education campaign is also in full swing. The federal Health Insurance Marketplace launched TV ads yesterday in Oregon promoting HealthCare.gov. Last week, Cover Oregon also rolled out a companion TV ad titled, “Really, really Oregonian,” intended to localize HealthCare.gov to Oregonians. Cover Oregon will release a second TV ad in the coming weeks.
Cover Oregon, in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority, has a strong statewide network for in-person assistance. If customers are not able to attend an event in person, they can find an insurance agent or community partner in their area by going to CoverOregon.com. They can also call the federal Health Insurance Marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and language assistance is available.
