The New Hampshire Insurance Department has released this explainer for people who have recently been laid off or lost their employer-sponsored health insurance benefits.
You can enroll in the Granite Advantage Health Care Program or other Medicaid programs if you are low or no income and need health coverage. There are also Medicaid programs available for children, pregnant women, and the medically frail. Learn more about the Granite Advantage Program on the Department of Health and Human Services website. You can enroll in the Granite Advantage Program or Medicaid coverage through NH Easy or HealthCare.gov.
There are several Medicaid Managed Care plans to choose from. Do your research to make sure that the plan you choose includes your preferred medical providers.
HealthCare.gov has Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) for people who may have recently lost their employer-sponsored health insurance coverage, and other qualifying life events. You can apply for the SEP 60 days before you know your coverage will end and 60 days from the date you lost coverage. If you do not apply 60 days from the date your health insurance terminated, you will not be able to take advantage of the SEP.
There are two types of assistance available, depending on your income level. Premium Tax Credits are available to help offset premium costs, based on a sliding scale that goes up to 400% of the federal poverty level. Cost Sharing Reductions lower the amount of out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance, a person or family must pay. These discounts are available for households with an income up to 250% of the federal poverty level, but can only be used with Silver level plans bought on HealthCare.gov. After completing an application on HealthCare.gov, you will learn how much assistance you qualify for, based on your tax household income.
Anthem, Ambetter by N.H. Healthy Families, and Harvard Pilgrim sell individual health plans on HealthCare.gov. Make sure that the plan you choose includes your preferred medical providers and prescription drugs. You can do this research on HealthCare.gov after applying for a plan or through a resource on the N.H. Insurance Department’s website.
You can get free enrollment help. HealthCare.gov offers a “Find Local Help” tool that you can use to look up free help in your community, including enrollment assisters and insurance agents. Free enrollment assistance is also available through a Federal Navigator by calling 1-877-211-NAVI or by visiting NH Navigator.
If your employer had 20 or more employees, you can select COBRA or N.H. State Continuation. If your employer had fewer than 20 employees, you can select N.H. State Continuation. These options allow you and your dependents to continue on your employer’s group health (medical and dental) benefit plan at the employer’s full price, plus a 2% administrative fee. Find more resources on COBRA and N.H. State Continuation on the Insurance Department’s website.