​ACA open enrollment for 2022 extends to Jan. 15

A screen still of the HealthCare.gov website, as collected on Nov. 1, 2021. (Healthcare.gov, Healthcare.gov)

HOUSTON – Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces enrollment has begun, and most consumers will have until Jan. 15 to choose a plan for 2022 that will best meet their medical needs, AARP reported and KPRC 2 confirmed via the Healthcare.gov website.

As consumers review their insurance coverage, experts told AARP that Americans will see more plans and more affordable options.

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A note about open enrollment's deadline, as collected from Healthcare.gov on Nov. 1, 2021. (Healthcare.gov)

“I think people who haven’t looked in a while will be pleasantly surprised at how much more affordable the coverage is,” Karen Pollitz, senior fellow at the nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, told AARP.

AARP noted that is due mainly to the American Rescue Plan enacted in 2021 that temporarily expanded the federal subsidies available in the marketplace plans and increased the amount of the financial assistance for which consumers can qualify.

“If your income is one to one and a half times the (federal) poverty level, which is just under $20,000 a year for a single person, you can now get a free heath insurance policy that has either a zero or a very low deductible,” Pollitz told AARP.

Most Americans who sign up for ACA plans can expect to qualify for some federal subsidy. Also under the American Rescue Plan, consumers will not have to pay any more than 8.5% of their annual income for marketplace insurance plan premiums, AARP reported.

These enhanced subsidies will be in place through 2022.

For more information on availability, help and more, go to AARP’s article about this deadline.