NORFOLK — For the Nebraska Department of Insurance, it is a race to get the public informed ahead of the health care open enrollment period.
That’s why officials from the Department of Insurance were in Norfolk on Tuesday night. They held a listening session to speak with the public and with insurance agents.
Counsel at the Department of Insurance Laura Arp says the cost of health insurance is the number one concern of the public.
“So we are talking with them about how to make sure that if they qualify for a subsidy that they get one, how to shop for insurance, how to work with an agent to make sure that they get a plan that best suits them,” Arp said.
She says the shorter enrollment window is also a big topic. You must enroll with healthcare.gov by December 15th in order to be covered on January 1st. She says there’s a reason shorter window.
“When that period is longer, people can wait to sign up until they get sick and sign up for a larger part of the year,” Arp said. “So it is to prevent what insurance people call adverse selection.”
Medica is the only company offering plans in the individual market this year. Medica says premiums for plans will average 31 percent more than in 2017.
Department of Insurance Visits Norfolk on Eve of Open Enrollment
