Additional opportunity provided to enroll for insurance coverage

Wyomingites seeking health insurance will have an additional opportunity to sign up for coverage under the Affordable Health Care Act starting next week.

According to a release from the Wyoming Department of Insurance, Wyoming residents can sign up from Monday through May 15 at HealthCare.gov. President Biden signed an executive order last month that created a three-month special enrollment period to give Americans greater access to health insurance, including those who lost their jobs or their insurance coverage through the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Wyoming Department of Insurance, individuals currently covered under a Marketplace plan will be able to change to any plan available in Wyoming without being restricted to the same level of coverage as their current plan.

Insurance Commissioner Jeff Rude said the additional enrollment period will help ensure that Wyoming residents have access to comprehensive health insurance that protects them from preexisting conditions. He said the need for health insurance is critical, but many Wyomingites are not aware of the subsidies that are available to help them obtain coverage.

The Marketplace’s annual open enrollment period for 2021 coverage ended Dec. 15, 2020, but the three-month special enrollment period created by Biden’s executive order is open to all eligible applicants who want to apply for coverage or change their existing coverage for any reason.

Applicants don’t have to meet requirements for a qualifying event, such as loss of a job or birth of a child, and won’t be required to provide documentation of a qualifying event.

After the special enrollment period ends on May 15, individuals who experience qualifying life-changing events will be eligible to enroll for marketplace coverage through a traditional special enrollment period.