Enrollment for the federal health insurance marketplace opens Friday.
The Health Insurance Marketplace offers subsidized health insurance for those who can’t afford private coverage or don’t have insurance through their employer.
The enrollment period lasts Nov. 1 through Jan. 15. If shoppers want coverage to start Jan. 1, they will need to select their plan by mid-December. Plans purchased after that date will start in February.
People who do not change their plan will be automatically re-enrolled in their current coverage or a similar plan.
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says most consumers should qualify for subsidized plans. Premiums can be as low as $0.
Subsidies for Marketplace plans will expire at the end of next year. Congress will have to renew them or pass other funding to prevent Montanans’ premiums from rising up to $90 per month.
According to KFF, around 66,000 Montanans are enrolled in the health insurance marketplace.
