Washington County, GA Obamacare

Sandersville, Georgia 31082
@
 

What Georgia Residents Need to Know About Obamacare for 2024

Georgia open enrollment for 2024 health insurance plans runs from November 1, 2023 until January 15, 2024.

This website provides information about getting health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including:

To begin, keep in mind these key points about health insurance in Georgia:

1. Open enrollment for 2024 health insurance plans runs from Tuesday, November 1, 2022 through Sunday, January 15, 2023.

Georgia residents can sign up for 2024 health coverage from November 1, 2023 to January 15, 2024. For most people, if you enroll by December 15, your coverage will begin on January 1, 2024. If you enroll after December 15, your coverage will start on February 1.

(Once open enrollment ends, you can get covered for the rest of the year if you qualify for a special enrollment period, including job or income loss. To learn more, see What Happens If I Miss the Georgia Obamacare Enrollment Deadline?)

If you're uninsured, you can use Healthcare.gov to compare plans and enroll in a plan that meets your needs. 

If you already have health insurance, you will be automatically re-enrolled in your existing plan if it is still available. Even if your plan is continuing, open enrollment is an excellent time to review your coverage, compare plans, and switch to a new one if you find a better option. If your insurance company stops offering your current health plan, they may "map" you onto a new plan. In this case, it's vital that you to investigate your options to be sure you get the best plan for you. 

To learn more about enrollment, see How To Sign Up for Obamacare in Georgia.

2. The Georgia health insurance marketplace is still located at Healthcare.gov.

In Georgia, you may have heard that you can no longer buy health insurance through Healthcare.gov, the federal website for purchasing coverage under the Affordable Care Act. While it's true that in 2020 the Trump administration approved a plan to close Healthcare.gov to Georgians, the Biden administration suspended the plan because it failed to provide Georgians with adequate methods for getting covered.

During open enrollment, or whenever you qualify for a special enrollment period, you can still use Healthcare.gov to choose your health insurance plan, apply for cost-saving tax credits, and get other needed help.

To learn more about enrollment, see How Do I Sign Up for Obamacare in Georgia?

3. You won’t face a tax penalty for going without health insurance in 2024—but there are big downsides to being uninsured.

Obamacare’s tax penalty went away in 2019. That means that if you don’t have health insurance, you won’t have to pay a penalty when you file your federal income taxes. That said, think about whether it makes sense to forego health insurance. A medical crisis could knock the financial wind from your sails and do more damage than the penalty. (A study published in 2019 showed that a lapse in health insurance coverage can double a person's chances of ending up in bankruptcy.)

4. You may qualify for new Affordable Care Act subsidies.

In 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The law provided $1.9 trillion of federal aid to Americans struggling with the COVID-19 crisis, including additional premium subsidies for those who purchase health insurance through Healthcare.gov. In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act extended these more generous subsidies through 2025. Here’s a quick summary of the types of available subsidies.

Federal tax credits. Under ARPA, no one will have to pay more than 8.5% of their household income for a mid-level plan purchased from Healthcare.gov. Technically, the subsidies are tax credits, but you can choose to have them automatically deducted from the cost of your monthly premiums.

Cost-sharing subsidies. More than half of the people who purchase coverage through Healthcare.gov receive assistance through cost-sharing reductions (CSRs). CSRs automatically reduce your premiums and lower your costs when you use your insurance benefits—for example, when you go to the doctor, get lab work, or have to stay in the hospital.

CSRs are available to people who make between 100% and 250% of the federal poverty level. (For 2023 health plans, a family of four in Georgia can't earn more than $75,000 and an individual not more than $36,450.) But these benefits are available only on silver plans. If you think you may qualify, look carefully at the costs for silver plans available at Healthcare.gov while shopping for coverage.

Medicaid. You may qualify for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid in Georgia if your income is very low.

All subsidies will be automatically calculated when you apply for a plan through Healthcare.gov.

For more information, see Ways to Save Money on Obamacare in Georgia.

5. Average premium may go up, but that doesn't mean everyone is paying more.

Costs vary from insurer to insurer and plan to plan. Also, if premiums for the benchmark plan (the plan used to determine subsidy amounts) go up, subsidies go up, too. This is a long way to say don't let the numbers get you down. Comparison shop at Healthcare.gov to find the plans and subsidies available to you.

6. Avoid short-term insurance plans that don’t comply with the ACA.

In 2018, the Trump administration made purchasing short-term insurance plans easier. Short-term plans don’t have to cover preexisting conditions or the essential health benefits provided by Obamacare plans. In the past, short-term plans were allowed to last only three months, but under new rules, you can purchase a non-ACA-compliant “short-term” plan that lasts as long as three years.

If you’re genuinely caught without health insurance and need it for a few months to cover a new health condition, you might want to consider a true short-term plan to get you through to the next open enrollment period. Otherwise, be careful of plans that don’t meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, and shop around to look for coverage that truly meets your needs.

Remember, if your income is very low, you may qualify for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid in Georgia.

7. You can get help signing up if you need it.

The Biden administration has greatly increased enrollment assistance, making it much easier to get the information you need to get covered. To connect with local support resources, see How To Sign Up for Obamacare in Georgia.



Washington County, GA
Obamacare by Zip Code

Brokers
Using a Broker

Basics
Obamacare Basics for Georgia

Required?
Is Obamacare Required in My State?

Tax Penalty
Tax Penalty

How to Enroll
Obamacare Enrollment

Rates
Obamacare Rates for Washington County

Financial Help
Obamacare Financial Assistance

Life Situations
Obamacare for Different Life Situations

Using Your Plan
Using Your Obamacare Health Insurance Plan

News
Obamacare News



Speak with a Health Insurance Expert 800-943-6832Ads by +HealthNetwork /static/OBZ/homepage/GA.php