![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Lehigh-regional-300x237.jpg\" "\\"Lehigh")
Beginning\u00a0November 1, Lehigh Regional will again help area residents learn about and enroll in health insurance options on the Health Insurance Marketplace.<\/p>\nBeginning\u00a0November 1, Lehigh Regional will again help area residents learn about and enroll in health insurance options on the Health Insurance Marketplace.<\/p>\n
As part of the Affordable Care Act, most U.S. citizens were required to have health insurance beginning in 2014.\u00a0Since the passage of the ACA five years ago, about\u00a016.4 million<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0uninsured people have gained health coverage. Yet, approximately 30 million Americans remain uninsured.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a primary health provider in Lehigh Acres, our goal is to help educate residents in an easy-to-understand way, as well as assist those who haven\u2019t\u00a0 yet signed up for health insurance or Medicaid, if qualified,\u201d said Tom Marshall, CEO of Lehigh Regional Medical Center. \u201cDuring the next few months, we\u2019ll be out in the community and meeting one-on-one to help these individuals find affordable coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n Health Plans on Health Insurance Marketplaces<\/em><\/strong> All health plans on the Marketplace must offer a comprehensive set of benefits, and coverage cannot be denied for individuals with a pre-existing health condition. Some of the health benefits include free preventive care and wellness services, doctor visits, prescription drugs, hospital and emergency department care, lab services, pediatric services \u2013 and more.<\/p>\n The penalty fee for not having insurance has increased this year. If you can afford health insurance coverage in 2016, but don\u2019t sign up, you may have to\u00a0pay a penalty ($695 per adult, $347.50 per child \u2013 up to $2,085\/family or 2.5% of family income, whichever is higher). You will have to pay the fee on the federal income tax return you file. And, without insurance, you will be financially responsible for all of your medical costs.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is where Lehigh Regional can assist,\u201d said Marshall \u201cWith many people not having access to a computer or having difficulty maneuvering on the government website, our application counselors can help individuals and their families evaluate the health plan options and determine if they are eligible for Medicaid or other financial assistance. We\u2019ll also help with re-enrollment.<\/p>\n Medicaid<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile\u00a0Florida has\u00a0not expanded Medicaid, government subsidies to help citizens obtain coverage are available, depending on income and other qualifications,\u201d explained\u00a0Marshall. \u201cWe can help screen these individuals and if they qualify, we can enroll them at any time, with health coverage beginning immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n Though a major function of\u00a0www.healthcare.gov<\/a>\u00a0is assessing whether individuals and families qualify for financial assistance to lower the cost of health insurance, LEHIGH REGIONAL\u2019S application counselors can perform the same analysis and help with enrollment and re-enrollment. To make an appointment to meet with an application counselor, call\u00a0(239) 368-4407<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cLehigh Regional Medical Center\u00a0<\/strong>is committed to improving the health of the communities we serve by helping residents gain access to healthcare services,\u201d said<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Marshall.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Beginning\u00a0November 1, Lehigh Regional will again help area residents learn about and enroll in health insurance options on the Health Insurance Marketplace. As part of the Affordable Care Act, most… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37520"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe Health Insurance Marketplace provides U.S. citizens access to affordable health insurance coverage. Depending on household income, some individuals may qualify for government financial assistance\u2013 or subsidies \u2013 towards the cost of the premium and other financial obligations like co-pays or deductibles.<\/p>\n