Saturday, Nov. 15 marked the commencement of the second term of Open Enrollment for Affordable Healthcare Act, an initiative sparked by President Barack Obama to provide affordable health coverage to the masses. From yesterday until Feb. 15, 2015, individuals who require healthcare insurance can visit the Marketplace in order to scour plan options for 2015 coverage.

Millions are expected to sign up during the three-month enrollment period. Advocates for the program have done a great deal of outreach in order to encourage the historically uninsured to acquire healthcare service. The number of uninsured declined to 40.7 million by early 2014, according to the Commonwealth Fund. For adults aged 19-64, uninsured rates declined from 20 percent just prior to Open Enrollment to 15 percent in April-June 2014. That's an estimated decline of 9.5 million people.

Those running the revamped online Marketplace promise a smoother enrollment experience this time around. And outreach groups will orchestrate "pop-up" enrollment events. And the Obama administration will redouble efforts to sign up young adults, rural residents and non-white citizens who are most in need.

Officials overseeing ACA have the two-prong task of having to sign up new customers and contact the seven million Americans who enrolled for the 2014 coverage. It's expected that the next year to 9.1 million -- an increase of only two million. Get Covered America, the national grassroots campaign, actively looks to expand their volunteer base, which is how they, and similar efforts, increase awareness of the ACA's benefits.

Annette Raveneau, National Latino Press Secretary and Regional Communications Director for Get Covered America, recently spoke with Latin Post and shared some of her terrific insight about ACA. She also explained that Get Covered America wants everyone to better understand what their health care options.

The Get Covered Calculator offers an estimate of monthly costs and it can deduce if an insurance seeker is eligible financial help to pay for plans. The Get Covered Connector provides the tools to make an appointment with local experts who will speak the plan seeker's language and explain health care plans.

"Many Latinos pay more attention to what their Comadres/Compadres tell them about what they heard somebody say about Obamacare than what a trained expert would be able to explain to them. Don't think this is a 10-minute process; you have to make a decision that will impact your health for the whole of 2015, so you need to make the best decision you can for your health and your budget," said Raveneau. "When you get enrolled you need to bring the documents that show how much money you make, the area where you live, and show the legal status in U.S. of every person you want to get covered."

Cuidadodesalud.gov and Healthcare.gov are terrific resources for Latinos to get covered, but those who used the free in-person assister service for their 2014 coverage were twice as likely to complete the enrollment process. GetCoveredAmerica.org/connector connects marketplace shoppers with someone who can answer any questions and help with applications.

"The Latino community stands to benefit a great deal from the new health insurance options the Affordable Care Act (ACA) offers. We are the group with the highest number of uninsured in the U.S. with nearly one in three Latinos being uninsured before the first open enrollment period of the ACA," said Raveneau. "This means that we can see immediate and long-term benefits in our communities when Abuelita, a Medicare recipient, does not see herself obligated to share her prescribed high blood pressure medication with her 55-year-old uninsured sister, since now the latter can afford a health plan in the Health Insurance Marketplace."

Raveneau continued, "When Papi does not lose days of work because he can now learn how to control his diabetes with the management classes offered by his new insurance plan. When Elisa and Paco can now have the peace of mind that they have free preventive services like doctor's visits and birth control and that prenatal care among other services are covered. Plus, their 4-year-old daughter Sofia now has dental and vision care included in her quality health plan and they can keep her covered until she turns 26."

Dec. 31 is the final day for 2014 coverage no matter when coverage began. Enrollees can renew current health plans or they can choose a new plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace until the Feb. 15, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period after experiencing a qualifying life event such as marriage, birth or adoption of a child, or loss of other health coverage. The new plan will start Jan. 1, 2015, for those who renew or change their plan by Dec. 15.

  • Between the 1st and 15th days of the month, your coverage starts the first day of the next month.
  • Between the 16th and the last day of the month, your coverage starts the first day of the second following month. So if you enroll on Jan. 16, your coverage starts on March 1.
  • Between Feb. 1, 2015 and the deadline of Feb. 15, 2015, your 2015 coverage begins March 1, 2015.

For those without health coverage during 2015, those individuals will be made to pay a penalty. And the penalty fee will be higher than it was in 2014: 2 percent of monthly income or $325 per adult/$162.50 per child, whichever is more.

Feel free to start a new application by visiting the Get Coverage page. Preview 2015 plans & prices before you apply and learn about your 2015 options. Use this checklist of documents you'll need to fill out your application (PDF) and see if you qualify for savings. Small business owners can also offer coverage to their employees at any time. And those in need can enroll in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) any time.

"We all need to be as healthy as possible to reach our full potential. Having health insurance and using the preventive services that are now free thanks to the ACA, increases our possibility to be more productive members of society," said Raveneau. "And if we do have an accident or are diagnosed with an illness we can be sure that we will not go bankrupted trying to preserve our health because health insurance companies can no longer limit the amount of money they pay for our care and cannot kick us out or charge us too much more because we have a pre-existing condition."

Important/helpful links:

https://www.getcoveredamerica.org/

https://www.getcoveredamerica.org/es/

https://www.getcoveredamerica.org/calculator/

https://www.getcoveredamerica.org/connector/