Health insurance marketplace

You can apply for coverage in four ways.

• Online: Get started at HealthCare.gov


• By phone: Call 1-800-318-2596, (TTY 855-889-4325) 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


• With in-person help: Visit localhelp.healthcare.gov for a list of trained people in your community who can assist you in filling out an application and enrolling.


• With a paper application: Download and print the application PDF and instructions at healthcare.gov. Once you mail it in, you'll get eligibility results by mail within two weeks.

Please visit HealthCare.gov for more information.

Having health insurance is important because it helps pay for care while protecting you financially in the event of an expensive health condition. Research also shows that people with health insurance are more likely to have a regular doctor and receive care when they need it.

Open enrollment

• Open enrollment begins - Nov. 1, 2021
• Open enrollment ends - Jan. 15, 2022
• Enroll by December 15 to have coverage effective Jan. 1, 2022
• Enroll between December 16 and January 15 for coverage effective February 1, 2022

U.S. citizens who do not have insurance, who buy their own health plans or who cannot get Medicaid or Medicare can buy a plan through the marketplace.

Those who buy plans through the marketplace may qualify for savings, which will vary by the amount of money their family makes.

Before you buy, ask or check online to see which doctors and hospitals are included in the plan. If you already have a regular doctor, check to see if that doctor is part of the plan. This is important if you want to keep your out-of-pocket costs down.

More options than in years past will be available to consumers. And more plans will require that you use services at a specific health system, which may not be Novant Health.

Short-term or association plans are not equivalent to the health insurance plans available for purchase on healthcare. gov. They may have fewer benefits or a number of exclusions.