Enhance Health

How To Sign Up For Obamacare In Mississippi

Mississippi is a state with high rates of unemployment and poverty, coupled with high rates of chronic illness and infant mortality. It is the state that needs good, affordable healthcare the most. 

And with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare, it is now within reach. But signing up for this health coverage has been slow and hampered by difficulty in this state. 

So keep reading if you need help with how to sign up for Obamacare in Mississippi. 

About Obamacare In Mississippi

Obamacare, as the Affordable Care Act has come to be known, has not been as successful in Mississippi as in other states. Since it was signed into law by then-President Barack Obama in 2010, few Mississippians have enrolled for it. 

However, Obamacare is available to all who qualify for it, regardless of political affiliation. It needs to be said, as there has been a lot of confusion about the nature of Obamacare. Also, if you can’t afford even the lowest premium, you may be eligible for a subsidy. 

Why Did Mississippi Refuse Obamacare?

Mississippi is known as the poorest of the US states and where Obamacare is sorely needed. Yet it was not well received and even now, countless Mississippians still don’t have adequate health insurance. 

By the time they could access it on the healthcare.gov website, 70% of Mississippians still knew very little about this healthcare reform. With the state also opting out of the Medicaid expansion, the most vulnerable in Mississippi were left with no other health insurance options. But what caused all this?

Unfortunately, a combination of politics and misinformation/miseducation led to the masses of Mississippi not accessing Obamacare. In a state with the highest rate of uninsured adults, and high rates of chronic illness, the state continued to resist the introduction of Obamacare for its citizens.

Enterprising health insurers took to the streets in specially equipped buses to help people enroll in Obamacare. And health advocates continued to fight the bureaucracy in the interests of the people who are most at risk. 

Why Aren’t More People Signing Up For Obamacare In Mississippi?

Many Mississippians are still unsure how Obamacare works and how to sign up. And some don’t realize that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Obamacare are, in fact, the same thing. 

Mississippi does not have a state-run site for Obamacare enrollment. Instead, it uses the federally run marketplace for individual health insurance plans: healthcare.gov. It is available to all states and is free to use. 

But the lack of education about Obamacare and a history of resistance on the part of Mississippi’s governance has left the people confused. Despite all this, more and more Mississippians are starting to show an interest in Obamacare.

How To Sign Up For Obamacare In Mississippi

Are you a US citizen currently living in Mississippi? You can compare various health plans and enroll for Obamacare on the government site Healthcare.gov. Even if you are unemployed or a low-income earner, you’ll find a plan that works for you. 

Some have zero-rated premiums for applicants who earn too little to afford health insurance. But we understand that it takes time to compare plans and check details. And the terminology is sometimes confusing. 

That’s why we have another option for you, and it’s the easiest way to sign up for Obamacare in Mississippi. At  Enhance Health, we take the hassle out of this process. 

We guide you through the insurance plans, help you find the right one, and assist you with enrollment. So you can get health insurance for yourself and your family quickly and conveniently. 

What Do You Need To Sign Up For Obamacare?

To qualify for these benefits, you need to meet a few basic criteria and enroll during the open enrolment period. 

Open enrollment for Obamacare health plans for 2023 begins on November 1, 2022, and runs through January 15, 2023. If you enroll by December 15, you will be covered from January 1, 2023. 

Take a look at the list below, and if you can answer yes to all of the points listed, you can sign up for Obamacare in Mississippi.

I AM:

  • A US citizen/ I have legal immigration status
  • Earning a minimum income as stipulated by law/ Unemployed 
  • Not listed as a dependent on another person’s health insurance 
  • Receiving no health insurance from my employer
  • Not currently incarcerated

What Is The Penalty For Not Getting Obamacare Insurance In Mississippi?

There is a mandate that everyone should obtain health insurance, and at first, there was a penalty for not doing so. This was intended to encourage everyone to get health insurance.  

The ACA’s mandate penalty was scrapped at the federal level, by the end of 2018. But some states have retained a state-based penalty for non-compliance with the mandate, since that ruling.

Mississippi does not have a state-based penalty for non-compliance with the mandate. 

Key Takeaways

It hasn’t been an easy road to affordable healthcare in Mississippi. While the health insurance reform known as Obamacare has been available to the whole country, the state has resisted Obamacare from the very beginning. 

The number of uninsured people in Mississippi is, thankfully, decreasing.  But it’s still higher than it needs to be. If you need any help getting the healthcare that you and your family can afford, give us a call today. 

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