5 things to know: health insurance enrollment

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The second enrollment period begins Saturday for people buying their own health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Sign-up season lasts until Feb. 15, but customers must sign up in the first month for coverage that begins on Jan 1. The exchanges are intended for people who don’t have access to affordable coverage through their jobs.

Below are five things that South Carolina residents should know about the insurance that is available through President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.

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HOW MANY HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP? More than 118,000 people in South Carolina signed up for ACA plans during the previous enrollment period, and navigators hope to double that number during the new enrollment period.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, about 7.1 million people are enrolled in and paying for insurance through state and federal exchanges. Of these, federal officials estimate that about 5.9 million would re-enroll for 2015. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has not issued state enrollment projections but has estimated that at least 9 million people will be enrolled nationwide in 2015 — well below the 13 million that the Congressional Budget Office had projected.

During the last enrollment period, federal officials said nearly 214,000 South Carolinians filled out applications for health care, but about 45 percent of them didn’t complete the process and pick a plan.

Nearly 90 percent of the people who enrolled here were eligible for government subsidies for the private insurance.

WHO’S OFFERING INSURANCE IN SOUTH CAROLINA? Blue Cross Blue Shield and its licensee, BlueChoice, as well as the health insurance cooperative Consumers’ Choice — one of 24 nationwide created by the federal law — are offering plans statewide. Coventry Health Care, which was bought last year by Aetna, is also again offering plans. A fifth company, Assurant Health, is joining the exchange for the coming cycle.

PRICING INFORMATION: Before Saturday, customers can enter their age, location and income on www.healthcare.gov to see estimates of how much plans from each insurer would cost. State officials have said they expect prices to increase by around 1 percent for most customers, and prices are affected by factors like age, income, smoking and location.

A report by the federal Department of Health and Human Services found premiums in South Carolina to be higher than the national average in 2014, measuring at an average of $267 a month for the least-expensive bronze plan. Nationally, the average for the lowest cost bronze plan was $249 a month.

WHAT ABOUT THE WEBSITE? The federal exchange website used by South Carolina and other states has been upgraded and rebuilt in hopes of avoiding the glitches that marred last year’s rollout. Officials have also streamlined the application for most first-time applicants, paring down the number of screens.

Returning customers have until Dec. 15 to update their financial information in their existing accounts for coverage starting in January. Those who do nothing will be re-enrolled in their current plans, along with the subsidy amount they got for the first year.

People who wish to keep plans that predate the ACA can continue to do so after the Obama administration allowed an extension.

GETTING HELP: People who want to find counselors to help them through the sign-up process can enter their location online at https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/

The federal government is giving community groups funds to send people trained to navigate enrollment to churches, libraries and local festivals. The Cooperative Ministry, which has a navigator grant through the end of this year, is open Saturday to help people with enrollment.

Blue Cross Blue Shield, one of the state’s five providers, is holding agent open house sessions around the state this month and also has two mobile units where enrollees can sign up on the go.