North Dakota Expert Says Don’t Let ACA Questions Derail Your Enrollment

(Adobe Stock via Prairie News Service)

(By Mike Moen. Prairie News Service)  – Signing up for health coverage is an important but no-so-fun task and for North Dakotans with Affordable Care Act plans, this year’s enrollment comes with added stress amid uncertainty over expiring tax credits.

Enhanced federal subsidies for health insurance marketplace customers expire at year’s end. Whether to extend them is a major factor in the government shutdown, prompting fears millions of people will pay much more without the credits. Enrollment begins Nov. 1 and a statewide assistance group hopes people do not panic.

Lindsey Karlson, director of programs and training for the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas, said even if there’s no resolution, you should still begin the prep work.

“Don’t wait ’til the last minute,” Karlson urged. “I’d encourage folks to log on as soon as they can after November 1st so that they can see what the plans are, they can start making decisions.”