Governor Steve Bullock today highlighted the beginning of the 2020 Open Enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act and promotion and outreach efforts to ensure Montanans have quality and affordable health insurance coverage, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Access to quality, affordable health coverage is always important, but particularly during a global pandemic,” Governor Bullock said. “In addition to preserving coverage by reauthorizing Medicaid expansion, we are boosting promotion and outreach efforts to make sure every Montanan knows they can access assistance to enroll and financial assistance if they need help paying their premiums.”
The Open Enrollment period is from November 1 to December 15. Governor Bullock has taken action to protect affordable and quality coverage in Montana, including reauthorizing Medicaid expansion in 2019. Most recently, he committed $1 million in grants through the state’s Coronavirus Relief Funds for safety net providers to train or pay staffing costs for certified application counselors and do promotion and outreach regarding Open Enrollment. Twenty-five hospitals and primary care clinics and the Cover Montana network are currently providing support through the grant funding.
Financial assistance is also available to Montanans who need help paying monthly premiums and covering some out of pocket costs. In Montana, nine out of 10 individuals who picked a plan in the last enrollment cycle received financial assistance to make their plans more affordable. Nearly 60 percent of Montanans with an Affordable Care Act plan paid less than $10 a month and over 70 percent paid less than $75 a month.
All marketplace plans cover doctor visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, preventive care and more, and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, all marketplace plans provide protections for the 435,000 Montanans with pre-existing conditions.
To get free one-on-one help go to CoverMT.org or call toll-free 1-844-682-6837.
