Medicare Open Enrollment via Healthcare.gov begins on November 1st. Consumers can preview 2022 health insurance plans and prices on HealthCare.gov ahead of Marketplace Open Enrollment. Consumers who choose to take no action will be automatically re-enrolled in their current plan. All providers need to remind their staff to check for any changes to patients’ insurance information on a regular basis.
CMS also released a new Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) Landscape Report that shows the enhanced premium tax credits passed in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) continue to ensure critical financial assistance to consumers and that more plans are offering HealthCare.gov coverage in 2022. As a result, more people than ever before are eligible to receive additional help to pay for HealthCare.gov coverage. The report highlights that new and returning consumers may continue to be able to find more affordable health care coverage with lower costs for the 2022 plan year.
The QHP Landscape Report shows that more insurance companies are entering the market and expanding their service areas, which translates into more access to health care coverage and affordability for consumers. For the 2022 plan year, 213 issuers will be offering coverage through HealthCare.gov, an increase of 32 issuers compared to the 2021 plan year. Eighteen states now have more issuers participating in the 2022 plan year than the 2021 plan year. These increases mean more choices, with the average consumer having plan options from between six and seven insurance companies, up from four to five companies in 2021.
For more information and resources for consumers and providers, read this fact sheet from CMS.