Kynect marketplace opens up on Tuesday, Help spread the word

It's always a great time to be a Kentuckian, but thanks to Governor Beshear making the choice to accept federal money to expand Medicaid and create our own healthcare marketplace, Kynect, it is time to brag a little and get excited. Everyone knows that Kentucky, while awesome, continues to rank at the bottom in most national health rankings. What hasn't become common knowledge (yet!) in the commonwealth is that we have new and powerful tools and more coming our way thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Kentucky's health care landscape is changing in a huge way starting January 1, 2014 with additional implementation of the ACA. Kentucky is the only southern state expanding Medicaid, creating and running our own Marketplace, Kynect. Our state is improving our health care options. To make that turn into improved health for Kentuckians, it takes a little bit of work from us; We have to make sure that EVERYONE in Kentucky enrolls in health coverage, and then knows how to access health care in a smart way, building relationships with primary care providers and accessing preventative services. This is going to take a lot of support from everyone, because for folks who have previously not had access to these services, how can we expect them to know when it's best or most appropriate to access levels of care?

While most of us already have coverage through our employer, around one in five of us don't have health coverage from any source, and around half of those are eligible for no premium cost Medicaid. Over 91% of currently uninsured Kentuckians will qualify for health coverage with no monthly premium or some level of tax credit to help make their health coverage more affordable. Only uninsured Kentuckians with income over 400% of the federal poverty level will not receive assistance to pay for their premiums. Any single person working full time at minimum wage will be eligible for Medicaid! A household of two, such as a single parent with one child can earn a little over $10 an hour 40 hours a week and be eligible for Medicaid! KCHIP (KY Child Health Insurance Program) has also been expanded in Kentucky, for more support for our childrens' health care needs. None of our cancer survivors or Kentuckians with chronic illnesses are going to be denied or charged more for their coverage starting in January! Being a woman in Kentucky is no longer a pre-existing condition! This is great news folks, but let's make it work by making sure everyone takes advantage. Let's tell everyone that they are now going to have quality health coverage they can afford, they just need to enroll or shop, at kynect.ky.gov, starting October 1st.

Important Dates: Open Enrollment = October 1st until March 31st 2014

You must enroll by December 15, 2013 for coverage to begin on Jan 1, 2014