Eligibility and Enrollment
2014 Tax Preparation
How health coverage affects your 2014 federal income tax return – tools and guide from healthcare.gov.
Find tax information on Maryland Health Connection.
The IRS has produced a series of relevant tax tip sheets.
The Tax Preparer’s Guide to the Affordable Care Act.
Use the Tax Reconciliation Cheat Sheet from statereforum.
Learn more about Tax Season Special Enrollment Periods.
Resources for Consumers & Those Who Assist Them
There is a lot more to getting health care than just having an insurance card. Consumers need to be sure they have the ‘right’ one – Is it affordable? Do the benefits address one’s specific health needs? What happens once one gets the card? You will find some answers to these questions in the following. Please let us know if there is other information you could use. View a comprehensive list of Coalition created resource materials.
Selecting the Right Insurance Plan – This isn’t easy. Consumers must understand the language of insurance, the financial implications of their choice and their individual needs related to the benefits offered. Vulnerable populations and those with unique health needs need specific information. For example, those with disabilities, members of the LGBT community, those living with HIV, and those with mental health or substance use disorder challenges.
Maryland Health Connection – here consumers can determine their eligibility for Medicaid or financial assistance for private insurance, compare plans and find out where to get in-person assistance. Useful fact sheets from Maryland Health Connection include: What To Expect After You Enroll and Reporting Your Household Size and Income.
Navigator Resource Guide – This includes a Q & A organized into sections that address how individuals may present themselves to Navigators, based on their insurance status and coverage options. Developed in collaboration with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, and Kaiser Family Foundation.
The “My Smart Choice Workbook”- a useful tool, particularly for those providing assistance to consumers as they select a plan.
The Marketplace Plan Comparison Worksheet, by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, This tool is intended for use by Marketplace enrollment assisters when helping consumers compare Marketplace Qualified Health Plans and select the plan that best meets their needs. This worksheet allows you to compile important plan details side-by-side in a user-friendly way to help the consumer walk through the pros and cons of each plan. View the spanish version.
For those who just purchased insurance – congratulations! Now some may be asking – what’s next? The new Take Care. Getting the most out of your health insurance provides consumers with answers to this question.
From Coverage to Care is an initiative to help people with new health care coverage understand their benefits and connect to primary care and the preventive services that are right for them, so they can live a long and healthy life. CMS has developed written resources and videos in multiple languages.
Health Insurance Plan Rates and Financial Assistance
2015 Health Insurance Plan Rates – approved by Maryland Insurance Administration
Advance Premium Tax Credits factsheet. View it in Spanish.
Understanding your Tax Credits factsheet. View it in Spanish.
Get a preliminary eligibility determination with the Consumer’s Union Tax Credit Tool or print a useful brochure. Both resources are in English and Spanish.
Get Financial Help With Your Plan in 2015 – Maryland Health Connection FAQ.
Kaiser Health News answers the question: If I Don’t Use All My Subsidy Credit, Will I Get It When I Do My Taxes? Find the answer.
Parity & Consumer Protections: What To Look For?
UMD Drug Policy Clinic has released a flyer – Equitable Insurance Coverage for Mental Health and Drug Treatment. Learn more.
Maryland Parity Project and UMD Drug Policy Clinic Review QHPs for Parity Compliance. See the review.
Terrific new FAQ for health care reform with a special section for Substance Use Disorder developed by our partners at the Drug Policy and Public Health Strategies Clinic at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law.
Information Is Powerful Medicine: Understanding Your HIPAA Rights.
Special: Information for Health Care Professionals
Enroll America has created a presumptive eligibility toolkit for health care providers. With presumptive eligibility (PE), an individual can be temporarily enrolled in Medicaid immediately if it appears they are eligible. When an individual provides a hospital with a few basic pieces of information (about their income and household size), a PE determination can be made.
Check out these simple tips for talking to your patients about their new health coverage options.
The Coalition hosted a webinar for the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics entitled The Affordable Care Act: Getting it Right for Maryland’s Kids. View the visual presentation, listen to the audio recording.
Special: Information for Small Business Owners
The SHOP Direct Enrollment program is open. Learn More.
Use the Small Business Tax Credit Calculator to figure out what kind of tax credit you can expect.
View the Small Business Majority’s FAQs.