HealthSource RI special enrollment period ending

HEALTHSOURCE RI said that a special enrollment period it launched during tax season is ending April 30.
HEALTHSOURCE RI said that a special enrollment period it launched during tax season is ending April 30.

PROVIDENCE – HealthSource RI, the state’s health benefits exchange, said that there only a few days left for uninsured Rhode Islanders to take advantage of a special tax season enrollment period.

According to information from the exchange, eligible individuals and families have through April 30 to obtain coverage for 2015 if they did not have health coverage in 2014. Those individuals will have to pay a penalty when they file their 2014 taxes because of their lack of coverage.
Customers who choose a plan and pay the first month’s premium by April 23 will have coverage effective on May 1.

Certain eligibility requirements must be met in order to qualify for the special enrollment period. For example, individuals and families may not be enrolled in coverage through HealthSource RI in 2015, and must attest that when they filed their 2014 tax return they paid the fee for not having health insurance coverage in 2014. They must also attest that they first became aware of, or understood the implications of, the penalty after the end of the 2015 open enrollment period on Feb. 15 in connection with preparing their 2014 tax return.
Customers can compare, choose and pay for a plan by calling 1-855-840-4774 or by visiting the Providence contact center and walk-in at 70 Royal Little Drive.
Hours for the Providence location are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.

Eligible Rhode Islanders who enroll online at www.HealthSourceRI.com should select “other” and type “Tax SEP” when they reach the screen that asks why they qualify for special enrollment.

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Those interested in enrolling should bring with them a valid form of identification, last year’s tax form/tax information and information about current income including four weeks of pay stubs if available, as well as social security numbers/immigration documents, information about any health insurance they currently have and names of doctors they want to keep.

Rhode Islanders who do not qualify for an exemption and did not have health coverage in 2014 will have to pay a fee of $95 per adult or 1 percent of their income (whichever is greater) when they file their taxes this year. The fee increases to $325 per adult or 2 percent of income for 2015, according to HealthSource.

Those who qualify for the special enrollment period will still be subject to the fee for 2014; however, they will have the option of mitigating their fee for 2015 by getting coverage for the remainder of this year.
If consumers do not purchase coverage for 2015 during this special enrollment period, they may also have to pay a fee when they file their 2015 income taxes, HealthSource said.

HealthSource RI enrolled more than 33,000 Rhode Islanders in healthcare coverage during the open enrollment period that ended Feb. 15.

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