After 12,000 people signed up for Kentucky’s kynect program, part of the federal Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act that extends health care opportunities to more Americans, the state is adding seven days of chances for more to enroll for those applicants who may have had difficulty completing the process.
The open enrollment period ended on March 31 but the state is offering a new grace period from Friday through midnight on April 11.
Kentuckians who completed their applications by March 31 can visit the kynect.ky.gov website beginning April 4 to select a plan. All individuals must select a plan by midnight April 15, with coverage beginning May 1.
“This will be the last chance for most people to sign up for private health plans and possibly receive discounts until the fall open enrollment period,” said Carrie Banahan, executive director of kynect. “We strongly encourage those who still need to select a plan to do so as soon as possible. Those who have started applications should work to complete them quickly too, to reduce possible wait times toward the end of the grace period.”
To take advantage of the special enrollment period, Kentuckians will be asked to attest that they attempted to complete an application by March 31, 2014, and had problems doing so. On the kynect website, this will mean simply selecting a button when the special enrollment screen comes up. Applications must be completed by midnight April 11, and a plan must be selected by midnight April 15.
Kentuckians who need assistance can also contact the kynect call center at 1-855-4kynect weekdays from 7 a.m. to midnight Eastern time or from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, Saturday and Sunday. They can also search at kynect.ky.gov to find a kynector or insurance agent who can assist them with enrollment, or visit a local Department for Community Based Services office.
After the open enrollment period, individuals will still be able to apply for Medicaid. Only those who experience a qualifying event, such as the loss of employer-sponsored health insurance coverage, will be able to purchase private health plans. The next open enrollment period begins Nov. 15, 2014.
After a huge surge of applications in the final days of the official open enrollment period, more than 370,000 Kentuckians had enrolled in new healthcare coverage through kynect between Oct. 1 and March 31. More than 1 out of every 12 Kentuckians, or 8.6 percent of the state’s population, now has health insurance through kynect.