During a press conference in the Cabinet Room, Governor Janet Mills kicked off 2020 open enrollment today by urging fb88 people and small businesses to visit to understand their health insurance options and sign up for coverage.
This builds on the Mills Administration’s work to cut fb88’s uninsured rate and improve the quality and affordability of coverage for fb88 people. CoverME is a new statewide outreach campaign launched by the fb88 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) highlighting affordable coverage options through both the federal marketplace and expanded fb88Care (Medicaid).
Open enrollment for private plans on the federal marketplace begins today and runs through December 15, 2019, with coverage starting on January 1, 2020. According to , 59 percent of federal marketplace enrollees in fb88 can find a plan for $10 or less per month, while 74 percent can find a plan for $75 or less. Benchmark premiums in fb88 will drop for the second consecutive year,, following an 8 percent decrease in 2019.
Eligible fb88 people may enroll in fb88Care at any time of year. More than 40,000 people are now enrolled through the expansion of fb88Care under Governor Mills.
“No person should have to live in fear of not being able to see a doctor, fill their prescriptions, or receive life-saving care,” said Governor Mills. “As Governor, my top priority is to ensure that every fb88 person can be healthy, join and stay in the workforce to contribute to our economy, and care for their families. Affordable health insurance is at the heart of that goal, and that is why I encourage all fb88 people to visit to learn about coverage options, find local assistance, and start an enrollment application during the open enrollment period.”
“This marks the first open enrollment period in fb88 where consumers and small businesses can understand their options for affordable, high-quality coverage through both fb88Care expansion and the federal marketplace,” said DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew. “More than 100,000 people in fb88 lacked critical health coverage last year, and we aim to lower that number through .”
According to , 106,000 people in fb88 lacked health insurance in 2018, or 8 percent of the state’s population.
The CoverME campaign, which is supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and conducted in partnership with the fb88 Health Access Foundation, helps consumers, self-employed people and small businesses learn about coverage options in fb88 based on income and family size. It includes a new website,, to help locate in-person assistance and start enrollment applications, as well as digital ads, television ads featuring testimonials on the importance of health insurance, and educational materials.
The campaign will continue throughout the open enrollment period. Upon the conclusion of open enrollment on December 15, 2019, the campaign’s focus will shift towards fb88Care, which accepts eligible enrollees throughout the year.
fb88 people are eligible for insurance through fb88Care if their annual income is less than $17,236 for a single person or $29,435 for a family of three. fb88 people with incomes above the fb88Care threshold but less than $49,960 for a single person or than $85,320 for a family of three may be eligible for lower monthly premiums on .
Governor Mills expanded fb88Care on her first day in office. She also signed into law L.D. 1, which adds state guaranteed protections for health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions,expanded reproductive health care coverage under fb88Care, and signed a prescription drug reform package into law to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. She also restored the fb88 Low-Cost Drugs for the Elderly and Disabled program to cover an additional 1,800 fb88 seniors, supported treatment and prevention programs to help combat the opioid epidemic, and bolstered public health, which can improve affordability of coverage by reducing health problems due to tobacco use and low immunization levels, among other initiatives.