Enrollment Step by Step
See if you qualify for tax credits to help pay for insurance.
Obamacare Enrollment
Premium tax credits can only be received if you apply for health insurance through the Marketplace. In most cases this will be at HealthCare.gov. Some states have set up their own exchanges and some work in partnership with the federal government. You will find contact information for your state at Marketplace.
♦ ! Important make sure the site you visit is secure. You should look at the address bar to ensure the URL explicitly starts with https:// (the "s" stands for secure) and strictly verify that the domain reads healthcare.gov or their official state exchange URL.
The application process is not as frightening as many anti-obamacare folks say. You will be asked some very basic questions about yourself and any family members you want to obtaining health insurance for.
These questions simply confirm your identity and verify that you or your family members are citizens or eligible immigrants.
Immigrant eligibility is a complicated topic. Learn more at Immigrants & Coverage.
You can also download this info in PDF form.
It lists all the eligible immigrant status and suggested document to use when completing your application for health insurance.
Words of warning
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have heavily increased security over the last year to battle rogue insurance brokers who switch people's plans without permission.
Healthcare.gov uses the consumer credit reporting company called Experian to verify your identity. They have been known to mess things up so it is best to get your application started as soon as possible.
You may be required to verify your identity via a one-time passcode or explicitly approve an insurance agent or broker before that agent can access or alter your application.
Ensure that you have entered your personal information correctly. Being slightly off on the spelling of your name can throw everything out of whack.
You will be asked to estimate what your household's income will be for the next year. If you filed taxes last year, that would be a good place to start. Income - What Counts? goes into this topic in much greater detail.
Complete the application - sign - submit - see if you qualify for premium credits.
► A slide presentation of each step has been prepared from actual screenshots taken from HealthCare.gov. Personal information has been changed to depict a fictitious person. The site changes a little from time to time so the images might not be perfect. But the information is still valid.
