Methodist Healthcare Ministries & EnrollSA Mark the Beginning of Open Enrollment for 2022
Open Enrollment for health care coverage runs from November 1, 2021 thru January 15, 2022
San Antonio, TX (November 2, 2021) – Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. and EnrollSA hosted a press conference event at the Dixon Health & Wellness Center on Tuesday, November 2 to mark the opening of the ninth Open Enrollment period for health care coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act. The event featured remarks from Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Methodist Healthcare Ministries' President & CEO, Jaime Wesolowski, Centro Med's Vice President of Development, Ana Maria Garza Cortez, Bexar County Health Collabrorative Program Director Anel Treviño, and Mary Brosius. Brosius is an ACA Consumer and new Navigator who will help consumers enroll for health coverage in Bandera County. To view the press conference, please click here.
The Open Enrollment Period for 2022 health coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) began on November 1 and will run through January 15. Participation in the ACA Marketplace continues to grow steadily. Enrollment into Marketplace in 2021 grew by 14.91 percent to 1,284,524, and after the Special Open Enrollment Period between February and August of this year, enrollment in Texas grew by 40 percent. Due to the American Rescue Plan (ARP), ACA plans are now much more affordable and insurance premiums during the Special Open Enrollment Period dropped 46 percent for consumers. Consumers now also have more choices than in previous years as four new health insurance carriers joined the Marketplace for a total of eight covering the San Antonio area.
EnrollSA announced that after three years of not having a federal Navigator grantee in San Antonio, there are now two organizations, CentroMed and The Health Collaborative, that were announced as grant recipients for the new enrollment cycle. This equals a $2.6 million investment in enrollment for the San Antonio area for staffing and marketing to enroll more community members. Navigators will also be able to work with providers who do not currently accept an ACA Marketplace plan to explore how they may be able to cover consumers moving forward.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities across Texas, it is more important than ever that San Antonio area residents know about the health coverage options available to them, including through the health insurance marketplace, CHIP and Medicaid. Financial assistance is still available and EnrollSA enrollment assisters & Navigators are available to provide free application assistance.
Nearly 74,000 individuals in the San Antonio area have come to count on the coverage they've purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Residents can sign up for a free in-person appointment by calling (210) 977-7997 or by visiting EnrollSA.com. Residents can also enroll on their own by visiting www.healthcare.gov or by calling (800) 381-2596.
###
About Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for the uninsured through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant-making in 74 counties across South Texas. Guided by its mission of "Serving Humanity to Honor God," Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ vision is to be the leader for improving wellness of the least served. The mission also includes Methodist Healthcare Ministries' one-half ownership of the Methodist Healthcare System, the largest healthcare system in South Texas, which creates a unique avenue to ensure that it continues to be a benefit to the community by providing quality care to all and charitable care when needed. For more information, visit www.mhm.org.