Health care deadline is April 30

ALBANY--New York State of Health (NYSOH), the state's official health plan marketplace, reminds New Yorkers who were uninsured in 2014 that they have until Thursday, April 30, to enroll in a health plan.

"New York State of Health staff and partners are out in communities across the state to ensure that New Yorkers know that even though open enrollment for 2015 has ended, there are many circumstances where they may still qualify for a special enrollment period to get coverage and financial assistance through the marketplace," said NYSOH Executive Director Donna Frescatore.
To help create awareness for this Special Enrollment Period (SEP), NYSOH has partnered with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and the Internal Revenue Service to provide tax preparers across the state with SEP information for their clients. The SEP began March 1 and ends at 11:59 p.m. April 30. The federal tax penalty for not having health insurance in 2015 will increase to $325 per adult in a household or 2 percent of their income, whichever is greater.
Consumers who do not enroll during this SEP will be unable to purchase coverage during the remainder of the year unless they have another qualifying life event, such as becoming a citizen or the birth or adoption of a child. Other qualifying life events and NYSOH outreach efforts to educate New Yorkers include:
• Loss of health insurance due to job loss, or divorce.
• Presence at job fairs in targeted communities throughout the state.
• Partnership with the state Department of Labor Career Centers to share marketplace information with the newly unemployed.
• Providing SEP information to divorce attorneys and mediators who assist people with divorce.
• Marriage.
• Working with local government offices where people are getting marriage licenses.
• A move into or within New York State resulting in new health plan options.
• Partnering with realtors throughout the state to encourage agents to distribute SEP information to their clients.
• Aging off parent's insurance.
• Working with the SUNY system to help distribute SEP information to graduates this spring.
To be eligible for an SEP, consumers must notify NYSOH within 60 days of the qualifying life event. Those without an SEP qualifying life event may enroll in a health plan through New York State of Health beginning Nov. 1.
For more on how to enroll, call 1-855-355-5777 or visit www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov or find an enrollment assistor.
To learn more about Special Enrollment Periods, visit http://info.nystateofhealth/ny.gov/SpecialEnrollmentPeriods and watch a video explaining qualifying life events.