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Open Enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace is underway

The Open Enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace is underway and runs through January 31, 2016.

However, if you want your health care coverage to begin January 1st, you must enroll by December 15th.  Julie Brookhart is the Public Affairs Specialist in the Kansas City Regional Office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. 

Brookhart says individuals will be notified if the plan they are currently enrolled in will continue in 2016. 

She says if it does, they will be automatically re-enrolled.  If not, she says people will have to search the Health Insurance Marketplace to see if they can find a similar or new plan that fits their needs.

"Some might get a letter from their plan that it is going away but the health insurance company will automatically enroll you in a similar plan, so if you do nothing, you will be enrolled into that similar plan.  But again, you have until January 31st to pick your own plan if you don’t want that plan that you might be enrolled in.  So it’s important to look for information in the mail from your insurance company."

Brookhart says there are some open enrollment events coming where people can get assistance with the process. 

Information on the events is available at enrollnebraska.org.  Additionally, she says people can apply online at healthcare.gov or by phone 24/7 at 1-800-318-2596.  Brookhart says help is available in 150 languages.

Over 63,000 people in Nebraska are enrolled in Health Insurance Marketplace coverage.