Open enrollment period begins for government-assisted health insurance coverage

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Community leaders and health experts are encouraging uninsured Wisconsinites to sign up for a health insurance policy that best fits their personal and financial needs at healthcare.gov.

Currently, over 300,000 Wisconsinites are living without health insurance coverage across the state's 72 counties.

"This is, in fact, a statewide problem," said Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. "One of the resources we want to encourage folks to use is a website called Wiscovered.com, which has great information about open enrollment, where to find a navigator and how to get help in all 72 counties of our state."

Milwaukee County has the worst uninsured rate in the state at 7%, which is roughly 55,000 individuals. And 35,000 of those people live in the city of Milwaukee.

"Too many people put off the care that they need. They put off going to see a doctor. Health insurance gives you the additional confidence to get that care, not just for yourself but also your family," said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. "If more people were to sign up, if more people were to get covered, then we can start to bridge some of the disparities we have right here in our community."

Justin Rivas is the director of community health initiatives with Milwaukee Health Care Partnership and the manager of the Milwaukee Enrollment Network. He says cost is the biggest barrier keeping people from signing up for a health insurance plan.

"Ultimately, cost is always the biggest barrier. It's communicating that there's really low-cost options is the challenge for us right now and that's what we're trying to do today," Rivas said. "Be able to tell people that 'Hey, there's low-cost plans. Ten to $20 a month premiums. Great plans out there and it's really just finding the right help to pick those plans for you."

Expert health insurance navigators are federally licensed and able to provide free help all year long by comparing plans and prices across all coverage options, submitting applications for Healthcare.gov, BadgerCare Plus or Medicaid. They can also answer health insurance questions, resolve billing or coverage problems and file eligibility appeals.

"Our rules and policies are always changing," Rivas said. "These affordable plans were available last year due to these same subsidies. They've changed a bit, there's even more lower cost options now."

Due to continued subsidies from the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, four out of five customers will be able to find plans for $10 or less per month following tax credits. Anyone who enrolls by midnight, Dec. 15 can get full coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2023. Those missing the deadline still have until Jan. 15, 2023, to sign up to have coverage starting on Feb. 1, 2023.

Rivas says it's important for everyone to review their policies going forward with the federal public health emergency expected to end.

"Over 40% of Milwaukee County is on some form of Medicaid program right now and a lot of those folks are going to have to relook at their eligibility criteria," Rivas said. "We just want to make sure we don't have this gap widen and most importantly, address the inequities of folks that really need to be covered and may be covered on Medicaid and may also need to find that coverage on marketplace this year."

To receive free health insurance assistance from a licensed health insurance navigator, visit www.coveringwi.org/enroll or call 414-400-9489.