Enrollment open for insurance program

Since Nov. 1, 61,615 Missourians have enrolled in the insurance marketplace for the 2017 open enrollment period. Consumers have less than a week to apply in order to be covered starting Jan. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a news release at the end of November, indicating 2.1 million people nationwide have enrolled during the first month of open enrollment period. Last year, 290,201 Missourians purchased plans through Marketplace.

CMS recommends for those who want coverage to start Jan. 1, they should sign up by Thursday. The last day for open enrollment in the marketplace is Jan 31. For free local assistance, consumers can either contact the Cover Missouri call center at 1-800-466-3213 or visit healthcare.gov to enroll in a plan that is affordable.

Seventy-three percent of Missouri Marketplace enrollees can find a premium for less than $75 a month, according to the CMS news release.

There are three levels of health insurance plans consumers can enroll in. Under the bronze level, consumers may have a high deductible and a low premium. The silver plan is the second lowest priced health insurance plan and is used as a benchmark plan for rates. The gold plan offers a low deductible, offset by a high premium.

Randy Rogers, insurance counselor with Cover Missouri, explained coverage rates are based on the silver benchmark plan under Blue Cross Blue Shield in Missouri.

"Even though these are just averages, I still encourage people to navigate the marketplace or take advantage of the free assistance that is available to all consumers," Rogers said.