Health Insurance & Open Enrollment: What to Know So You’re not Another Statistic

Health Insurance Open Enrollment

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Open Enrollment was established to give you the specific times to acquire the proper healthcare coverage that you need. 
Open Enrollment dates are November 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023

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Having health insurance is important. 

It’s something we have all heard before, and, for most of us, the reason why is something we’ve also experienced. 

In not being put in the situation in which you need health insurance but don’t have the coverage, you may not have experienced the intense impact of medical expense as it ranks as the 5th leading cause of poverty in the United States

It can be having to pay out of pocket for doctor’s visits, medications, therapy modules- physical, occupational, or otherwise, hospital stays, unexpected (or even expected) surgeries- and that’s just the beginning. The human body is incredibly complex, and so is the care needed for it. The physicians, specialists, providers and everything in between are highly qualified individuals and thus expensive. 

Healthcare is not cheap. 

Roughly 1 in 10 Americans has at least $250 in medical debt, over 23 million in total, including 11 million that owe more than $2,000 and 3 million that owe more than $10,000. 

This level of medical cost comes from the combination of preventative care that is required in upkeeping the quality of health, and the jolt of an accident or an unforeseen diagnosis. It goes beyond all age groups, genders, ethnicities, and socio-economic tiers. Accidents happen at all ages, and illnesses can be found in the same, unexpected way. 

That being said, there are still some demographics that have a higher possibility of debt-

“People aged 35-49 (11%) and 50-64 (12%) are more likely than other adults to report medical debt. They have greater health needs than younger people on average and aren’t yet old enough to qualify for Medicare coverage, which may protect them from high costs.”

“Among racial and ethnic groups, a larger share of Black adults (16%) report having medical debt compared to White (9%), Hispanic (9%), and Asian American (4%) adults.”

What’s even more impactful?

Adults who were uninsured for more than half of the year are more likely to report medical debt than those who were insured for all or most of the year.

Health Insurance provides financial protection.

If you don’t want to be a part of the very statistics, include health insurance in your overall first aid kit. 

How do you find the right health insurance? 

Open enrollment period is the time of year when you can enroll with new insurance, modify or even cancel your current insurance. It is essentially the calendar days that the state and federal government has identified as being the window with which individuals who need health insurance can apply for coverage, and also for people that are using Medicare or Medicaid for insurance to get insurance or to change their plan. 

This is the time that is ideal specifically to those who do not get all of their family’s health insurance needs met by an employer. This is incredibly important to remember because, unless having an qualified event, if you miss this window, enrollment is closed and you cannot get insurance for the rest of the calendar year. 

If you need help, you’re in the right place. 

At Ashland Insurance, we offer many different individual, small group, large group, and Medicare plans. 

 

The simple, friendly, comprehensive next step?

Call our Ashland or Medford office to speak to a licensed agent to determine what a person or their firms’ needs are with respect to open enrollment.

You can reach our offices at:

 541.482.0831 Ashland

541.857.0679 Medford