Open enrollment deadline extended to February 29 for former Colorado HealthOp customers
Colorado HealthOP was excluded from Colorado’s health insurance exchange for 2016 leaving about 80,000 customers to search for new coverage. Open Enrollment ended January 31 but for those who lost Colorado HealthOP, the deadline has been extended to February 29.
Contact your agent or broker to find a new policy that’s right for your health care needs and budget. If you did not enroll with an agent, Connect for Health Colorado at 1(855)752-6749 has a network of brokers available to answer questions about choosing new options and for no additional cost. San Juan Basin Health also offers phone and in-person assistance in Durango and Pagosa Springs as a free public service.
Learn more about health insurance options in our video guide.
Open enrollment ends for Connect for Health Colorado
The enrollment period for private health insurance through Connect for Health Colorado has ended. Unless you have a qualifying life change event it is no longer possible to enroll in private health insurance or to apply for assistance with the cost of insurance. Enrollment will begin again late this year for insurance coverage beginning January 1, 2017.
If you have an application in process that is held up because of a technical problem, you can still complete your enrollment.
Examples of life change events include getting married, having a child, moving to Colorado, or losing other insurance coverage.
This does not apply to Medicaid, which has no time limits, or other public health insurance programs like Medicare, which may have their own restrictions.
Filing tax form 1095
Many taxpayers will be receiving a new tax form for the first time this year and may have questions about it. It is called the 1095, and it is a report about health insurance coverage in 2015. Anyone who had health insurance for all of 2015 will only need to check a box on their tax return (e.g. line 61 on Form 1040) to indicate that. The 1095 does not need to be filed with your tax return. Note: This includes anyone on Medicaid, Medicare, or employer plans for the full year.
Anyone with coverage for only part of the year or who received tax credits through Connect for Health may need to do some additional work, and should learn more or consult a tax professional.
Tax form info is available at http://connectforhealthco.com/resources/the-basics/2015-tax-information/
For more information or assistance contact Kevin O’Connor, Health Coverage Guide at (970)335-2021 or koconnor@sjbhd.wbprg.pw.