One Window For Getting Individual Health Insurance In Arizona Just Closed. Don’t Miss The Next One.
Click here to easily find affordable health insurance during open enrollment.
While we spend the latter part of the year focused on the holidays, October and November are also the time to pay some attention to your needs for individual health insurance in Arizona. We are rapidly approaching the window in which Arizona residents looking for health insurance for themselves and their families need to evaluate, choose, and enroll in individual health insurance plans.
For Arizona residents who do not have group health insurance through their employer, the “open enrollment” period that comes with the end of each year is a critical time. Open enrollment may be your only opportunity to obtain or modify your coverage for the coming year. If open enrollment comes and goes this year without you taking any action to sign up for a plan, you may be out of luck, facing the prospect of living without marketplace health coverage during 2022.
That is likely a scary thought – and it should be. As COVID-19 cases are again on the rise, more and more Arizonans are concerned that without coverage, an illness or injury to themselves or a member of their family could cost them dearly. In this time of uncertainty amid a global pandemic, a lack of health insurance is a potential catastrophe in waiting.
Here is what you need to know about open enrollment to obtain individual health insurance in Arizona with coverage starting January 1, 2022:
What Does “Open Enrollment” Mean?
Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), individuals can only apply for health insurance coverage during a designated Open Enrollment Period or during what is called a Special Enrollment Period.
Individuals who do not obtain coverage during the Open Enrollment Period can only get or modify coverage outside of that timeframe if and when a “qualifying life event” occurs (which triggers a Special Enrollment Period). Such events include:
Loss of existing coverage due to job loss, disqualification from Medicare or Medicaid, or aging out of coverage under a parent’s plan
Birth, adoption, death of a named insured, marriage, or divorce
Moving to an area outside of your existing insurer’s coverage
Becoming a U.S. citizen or release from incarceration
When Is The Open Enrollment Period For Individual Health Insurance Coverage For 2022?
You may recall that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government added an additional Open Enrollment Period for 2021 coverage that began on February 15, 2021, and ended on August 15, 2021. However, in most years, the Open Enrollment Period comes near the end of the calendar year, as it does this year for 2022 plans. But the next opportunity to obtain individual health insurance in Arizona through the Open Enrollment Period starts on November 1, 2021, and continues through January 15, 2022.
Where Do I Go To Apply For Individual Health Insurance Coverage in Arizona?
Click here to easily research and get quotes for affordable health insurance during open enrollment.
Private health insurance companies offer individual health insurance plans through online portals called exchanges. While several states operate their own exchanges, many others, including Arizona, use the federally established exchange: healthcare.gov. That means Arizona residents must go through that site to obtain coverage offered through the exchange.
154,504 Arizonans enrolled in individual health insurance plans through the exchange during the open enrollment for 2021 coverage. While that was an increase from the previous year, it was still down almost 25 percent from the number of people who enrolled in 2015.
What Can I Do At Healthcare.gov To Get Individual Health Insurance Coverage?
When you visit healthcare.gov, you can review and evaluate the plans available for individual insurance in Arizona. By providing information about yourself and your family, you can also see prices for different plans based on your age, household, and income.
Related: Are There Any PPO Plans In Arizona?
Who Offers Individual Health Insurance Coverage For 2022?
Arizona has seven insurers offering the calendar year 2022 coverage on the exchange. They are:
- Aetna/Banner CVS Health
- Ambetter
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
- Bright Health
- Cigna
- Medica
- Oscar
- United Healthcare
However, not all insurers offer coverage in all parts of the state, so the availability of plans from many of these companies will vary depending on where you live.
Click here to research healthcare plans and prices in Arizona. You can use this link to get health insurance during open enrollment.
More Frequently Asked Questions About Individual And Family Health Insurance Coverage:
How to Choose A Family Health Insurance Plan In Arizona