14 | September/October 2022 | BAEC Bulletin In the Public Service
Don’t Dread Health Insurance Enrollment, Navigate It! BY DANIELLE DUNLAP, CLAIRE LUNDERMAN, AND VERA VENKOVA Finding health insurance, choosing health insurance options, and dealing with health insurance-related issues are tedious and often frustrating tasks that most of us try to avoid as much as possible. The New York State of Health Marketplace has been around for a few years, created as a space where people can find affordable health insurance options. Unfortunately, many people still don’t know that they or their loved ones can qualify for enrollment, e.g., adult children aging off of parental health insurance. One of the reasons for this may be the difficulty in navigating all the available options and programs. Neighborhood Legal Services can help—for FREE! Neighborhood Legal Services’ Health Insurance Navigators provide assistance to the public when choosing affordable health insurance through the New York State of Health Marketplace, regardless of client income. Enrollment assistance and the information that Navigators provide is unbiased and FREE. Anyone can benefit from these services since there are no income or asset limits (yes, self-employed attorney, you heard us right – Neighborhood Legal Services would love to take this off your never- ending “to do” list and assist you as well). Navigators provide information about health insurance options that include Qualified Health Plans, Medicaid, Child Health Plus, and Essential Plan, about the availability of Advanced Premium Tax Credits that may help lower the cost of monthly premiums, and so much more. For example, did you know that you may be eligible to enroll your child(ren) in Child Health Plus even if you are offered employer-based insurance? Doing so may lower your employee contribution and would likely cost less because of the small or no out-of-pocket costs when accessing care with Child Health Plus. There are many categories of people who can take advantage of health insurance enrollment, including self-employed individuals, those employed part-time or who otherwise do not qualify for insurance through their employer, and those looking to retire, but who are not yet Medicare eligible. NEIGHBORHOOD LEGAL SERVICES
Navigators program, Neighborhood Legal Services’ Community Health Advocate Program assists with an array of health insurance issues including coverage denials, representation in fair hearings, medical bill collection, subsidy programs to assist with health insurance costs and premiums and many others—for FREE, with no client income restrictions. Many people are not aware of the programs in place, such as the Medicare Savings and the Medicaid Buy-In programs to save costs on premiums and spenddowns. Neighborhood Legal Services’ Community Health Advocates are happy to assist anyone with health insurance-associated problems. Neighborhood Legal Services’ Navigators and Community Health Advocate programs focus on Erie, Niagara, Wyoming, Genesee, and Orleans Counties, but our Navigators also do a lot of work in Chautauqua County and can assist anyone in New York State. If you or anyone you know could benefit from Neighborhood Legal Services’ Navigator or Community Health Advocate programs, please contact us at (716) 847-0650. • “Enrollment assistance and the information that Navigators provide is unbiased and FREE.”
DANIELLE DUNLAP Neighborhood Legal Services
CLAIRE LUNDERMAN Neighborhood Legal Services
VERA VENKOVA Neighborhood Legal Services
Naturally extending the assistance provided by our
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