Community Groups Helping Texans Get Covered on HealthCare.Gov

For Immediate Release
Contact: Peter Clark, 512-417-9262

Local Groups Standing By Throughout the State to Help Texans Enroll Before the Dec. 15th Deadline 

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Austin - Starting Friday, November 1, Texans can sign-up for insurance for 2020 on HealthCare.Gov. Some of the plans are less expensive than in years past, and many plans are comparable in price to last year. Almost 9 out of 10 Texans who buy plans through the HealthCare.Gov Marketplace receive generous financial help to pay for coverage, and once again, some Texans will be able to get $0 per month Bronze plans. Approximately 1 million Texans get covered through the Marketplace.

With Texas facing the worst uninsured rate in the nation, health care advocates are working to make sure Texans know about this opportunity to obtain health coverage.

"Despite persistent sabotage efforts from Washington, the Affordable Care Act Marketplace is holding strong and continues to provide 1 million Texans with comprehensive health care coverage," said Melissa McChesney, a policy analyst with the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a member of the Cover Texas Now coalition. "But progress gained by the Affordable Care Act is at risk, and we need everyone's help."

Health care advocates are working to inform Texans about several key points:

  • The sign-up window for insurance for 2020 on HealthCare.Gov is November 1 to December 15, 2019.

  • Financial assistance is available for low and middle-income shoppers to help lower the cost of their plan. Almost 9 out of 10 Texas consumers last year qualified for a tax credit.

  • Insurance plans on HealthCare.Gov must include key benefits like mental health care, maternity care, prescription drug coverage, and hospitalization services. Plans outside HealthCare.Gov do not have to offer the same protections.

  • Experts from local organizations are standing by in communities across the state to provide free assistance to help Texans understand their options and sign-up for a plan.

  • Despite the political attacks, the ACA is still the law of the land. The Texas Attorney General is leading a lawsuit that could eliminate ACA health benefits in 2021, but experts expect health coverage will still be available at least through 2020, and possibly for many years to come.

More information on local organizations providing assistance:

The following resources are available to help Texans connect with local organizations that provide enrollment assistance:

  • Austin: Call 2-1-1 or insurecentraltexas.org. Organizations providing assistance include Foundation Communities, Central Health, and Light and Salt.

  • Dallas: Call 2-1-1 or visit http://bit.ly/2P5JAUj. Organizations providing assistance include Parkland Health and Hospital System, Light and Salt, and the Office of County Judge Clay Jenkins.

  • El Paso: Visit https://www.enrollelpaso.org/ . Organizations providing assistance include Centro San Vicente.

  • Gulf Coast/Houston: Visit enrollgulfcoast.com (832) 393-5423. Organizations providing assistance include the Houston Health Department, Legacy Community Health, Change Happens, and Light and Salt.

  • Rio Grande Valley: Call (956) 246-4125

  • San Antonio: Call 2-1-1 or visit enrollsa.com. Organizations providing assistance include CentroMed.

Texans living outside of the areas listed above should contact their local community health centers for in-person assistance. Texans can use MyTexasMyHealth.org to search for their local community health center. 

Assisters are certified people trained to help Texans apply and enroll in a health plan with savings or apply for Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). They are required to provide fair, impartial, and accurate information, free of charge. HealthCare.Gov has a tool to Find Local Help. To filter results so that only the trained assisters from local community-based organizations are visible, you can remove the “Agent or Broker” box under “Filter,” so that only the “Assisters” box is showing.

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Cover Texas NowACA Enrollment, Private Coverage