Column: Deadline for healthcare.gov health insurance is today

The open enrollment period for health insurance through healthcare.gov ends today for coverage starting Jan. 1. Whether you are new to healthcare.gov or returning, we want to make sure that Hawaii residents don’t miss the opportunity to sign up for 2019 coverage.

We’ve made important improvements to customer service this year. We streamlined the application to simplify the sign-up process for consumers, improved content and help information to make it easier for people to understand, and worked to deliver better customer serv­ice. The healthcare.gov website has performed optimally, consumers have been able to easily access enrollment tools to compare plans and prices, and the call center consumer satisfaction rate has remained at 90 percent.

Between Nov. 1, when open enrollment began, and Dec. 1, more than 7,800 Hawaii consumers had selected a plan on healthcare.gov.

Here are three things Hawaii consumers need to know:

1. The deadline to sign up for coverage is today.

Hawaii residents who do not enroll by today’s deadline can’t get 2019 coverage unless they qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Consumers can visit healthcare.gov and cuidadodesalud.gov to preview 2019 plans and prices, and sign up for coverage today.

2. Now is the time for consumers to go to healthcare.gov or cuidadodesalud.gov to update their information or add it for the first time, and select the plan that best meets their needs.

We are encouraging Hawaii residents who need health insurance to join the millions of people who have found health insurance via healthcare.gov. The plans on healthcare.gov are comprehensive and offer:

>> Annual checkups at no extra cost.

>> Coverage of doctor visits, prescription drugs and certain preventive care with no out-of-pocket costs.

3. Comparison shopping and subsidies can reduce your out-of-pocket costs.

Consumers should compare plans and prices on healthcare.gov; they may be able to find a plan that saves them money and better meets their health needs. About 80 percent of Hawaii consumers qualify for federal subsidies that will reduce the cost of their insurance even further.

Help is available! Hawaii consumers can get help filling out their application in three ways:

>> By phone. Consumers can call the Marketplace Call Center at 800-318-2596 (TTY: 855-889-4325). Customer representatives are available every day except certain holidays.

>> In-person help. Consumers can use the Find Local Help tool on healthcare.gov to see whether they can get in-person help in their community.

>> Health insurance agents and brokers. Agents and brokers can help consumers enroll with healthcare.gov or handle the whole enrollment process. Search for health insurance agents and brokers using the Find Local Help tool.

Greg Dill is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the Pacific territories.