Midnight on Sunday is the first deadline to sign up for health insurance using Pennsylvania’s state-run electronic marketplace, called “Pennie.”
People who sign up by then will have coverage that begins Jan. 1. However, an extended deadline will allow people to sign up until Jan. 15, although their coverage won’t begin until Feb. 1.
Pennie is the state-run marketplace, or exchange, that replaces the federally run one that’s part of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
People with medium and lower incomes can use Pennie to shop for individual and family health coverage. About 80% of people qualify for government subsidies toward premiums, and some qualify for help toward costs such as co-pays. Pennie calculates the level they qualify for and connects them to the subsides.
“To put it simply, Pennie is where you go for coverage if you don’t have coverage from another source. If you don’t have an employer offering you coverage or you lose that coverage. If you’re not eligible for Medicare or medical assistance, Pennie is where you can go,” state insurance commissioner Jessica Altman said.
People can find more information at www.pennie.com. They can also connect with advice from state-approved navigators by calling 1-844-844-8040.
Pennsylvania lawmakers unanimously approved a state-run exchange after concluding it would save millions that could be put toward lowering health insurance premiums and also enable the state to better-promote the coverage. Pennie also is open longer than the federal exchange. Pennsylvania is now among about a dozen states running their own exchanges.
Pennie was rolled out on Nov. 1 with no major glitches and has been working well, Altman said this week. About 300,000 people had signed up for coverage as of late this week — similar to the pace of when Pennsylvanians used the federal exchange, she said.
The coverage available through Pennie comes from the state’s major health insurers, including its Blue Cross-Blue Shied plans and others.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey this week warned people to make certain they are shopping on the Pennie exchange. He said online searches can lead to deceptive sellers of “junk coverage” that lacks the guaranteed protections included in Affordable Care Act plans, such as pregnancy care and childbirth coverage, prescription drugs and coverage for mental health and addiction treatment.
New premiums have dropped by an average of 3.3% compared to 2020 rates, Ms. Altman said.
For people who previously bought coverage through the federal exchange, their information has been transferred to Pennie, officials said. They stressed that even if someone is satisfied with their coverage, they must log onto Pennie to renew for 2021.
The coverage sold on Pennie is for people whose incomes or family incomes are more than 138% of the federal poverty level. Coverage for people who earn less is available through Medicaid, also known as medical assistance.
If someone goes to Pennie and it turns out they qualify for Medicaid, a “wrong door” feature will send them to the system that signs them up for Medicaid, Ms. Altman said.
First Published: December 12, 2020, 11:00 a.m.
