62 | www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com Jeff McLean, an insurance agent with HealthMarkets in Mount Pleasant, recently worked with a local family of three who were surprised to learn that they qualified for financial assistance to buy a new health insurance plan. He helped them navigate their options by using HealthCare.gov, the website set up to enroll individuals through the Affordable Care Act, known also as Obamacare. “There are still a lot of South Carolinians who are not aware of how the ACA can benefit them,” McLean said. Anthony Kelley, the outreach director at Foothills Community Health Care in Easley, agreed. Kelley has worked for five years as a navigator, an individual certified to assist individuals free of charge to enroll through HealthCare.gov. He knows insurance can include some tricky terms and rules. “Although you can go directly to the website and apply and enroll in insurance, it is often a huge help to have someone who knows the system well help with the process,” Kelley said. The ACA was enacted in March 2010. The law provides insurance options to people who are not already covered by a public program or by their employer. The ACA also includes new benefits and protections such as preventing insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and requiring insurance companies to cover certain preventive care services. The law also made it possible for children to stay on their parents’ health insurance plan until they are 26. Rural Health Services is another organization that helps people enroll in the ACA. Two of its navigators, LaToya Bates and Sarah Christian, travel throughout the state to help those who do not have a navigator in their immediate area. They not only help people apply and enroll; they also help individuals understand their current coverage. So who is eligible for financial assistance through subsidies? When residents apply for coverage, they find out if they qualify for financial assistance that lowers their monthly premium.
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