Yes, You Can Enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace (ObamaCare) for 2021
“People with multiple sclerosis who do not have health insurance should absolutely consider enrolling or renewing their coverage in the 2021 Health Insurance Marketplace through the Affordable Care Act,” states Chris Sloan, Associate Principal from Avalere Health. Avalere is a widely respected healthcare consulting firm that has assisted MSAA in developing resources around the issue of copay accumulators and other important healthcare topics.
According to Mr. Sloan, the pending Supreme Court hearings set to begin on November 10, 2020 center around the issue of the individual mandate, a penalty for not having health insurance, and not around pre-existing conditions. The individual mandate, while still the law of the land, currently has a penalty of $0.
“The Supreme Court has the option to strike down the individual mandate, leaving the rest of the law and all its pre-existing condition protections standing, or rule against the entire law. The most likely ruling will focus solely on upholding or repealing the individual mandate, not the rest of the law and its protections. If this is the case, it will have no impact on patients’ access to care and protections,” said Sloan.
Additionally, Mr. Sloan suggests that timing of events is also on the side of the MS community. “Generally, the Supreme Court saves its decisions on high profile cases until the end of the term, so we likely won’t hear anything on the ruling until June 2021. From there, they will often remand the decision to lower courts to figure out the details and implement changes. Based on that, I believe that patients in 2021 should feel comfortable that regardless of the outcome, their coverage in that calendar year is unlikely to be affected,” said Sloan.
Enrollment in the 2021 Health Insurance Marketplace is now open until December 15, 2020. MSAA encourages you to visit www.healthcare.gov to learn more and enroll. If you have questions, please feel free to call our toll-free Helpline at (800) 532-7667, ext. 154 and speak with an MSAA Client Services Specialist.
