Jackson Hospital | Partners | FALL 2015

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Having health
insurance is
required— and
makes good sense.
No one plans to
get sick or injured,
but at some point,
most of us do. “You
don’t know what’s
going to happen,”
says Ghandi Williams,
Wellness Program
Coordinator with the
Wellness Coalition,
a Montgomery-area
organization that
works to improve ac-
cess to healthcare for
people with little to no
insurance. Coverage
protects you from high
medical costs. It also
helps you get free
preventive care like
screenings, vaccines
and checkups that help
keep you well.
Penalties for not
having health
insurance increase
in 2016.
If you don’t have
coverage, you’ll pay
the higher of these
two amounts on your
federal income taxes:
• Two-and-a-half per-
cent of your yearly
household income
• $695 per uninsured
adult and $347.50
per uninsured child
younger than 18
A variety of
insurance plans
are offered.
According to Williams,
plans are offered at
four levels—bronze,
silver, gold and plati-
num. Bronze and silver
plans generally cost
less, but have higher
deductibles. Gold and
platinum plans cost
more, but they offer
more benefits. When
enrolling, you provide
income information. It
determines whether
you qualify for finan-
cial help to make your
insurance purchase.
Have you given
any thought to your
health insurance lately?
If you buy yours in the
marketplace—or if you
don’t currently have
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There are four
ways to apply for
coverage:
• Online. Visit
healthcare.gov,
and click on “Get
coverage.”
• By phone. Call
800-318-2596.
• With in-person
help. A certified
counselor or
navigator can
help you fill
out an application
and enroll.
Visit
to learn who
can help. Or dial
the statewide
information and
referral system at
211.
• By mail. To get
an application, call
800-318-2596.
Get coverage, change or update
your plan, or get the answers you
need at
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It’s important to
weigh your options
carefully.
You can browse health
plans at healthcare.
gov. It’s important to
consider your personal
health and weigh
factors such as what
the plan covers, its out-
of-pocket expenses and
whether your preferred
healthcare provider is in
the plan’s network. “If
you know what you’re
looking for, it’s a simple
process,” says Williams.
“But if you don’t know
what you’re looking
for, there are certified
application counselors
or navigators to assist
you in enrolling. They
help you choose which
plan would be best for
you.”
insurance—it’s a good
time to do so.
The reason: It’s open
enrollment. That’s the
time period between
November 1, 2015,
and January 31, 2016,
when you can purchase
a health plan for 2016
or change your existing
health coverage.
Here are five things
about health insurance
and open enrollment
that everyone should
know:
health
Get your
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