Enroll for Healthcare in Louisiana, or Pay a Steep Fine

Open enrollment commenced on Saturday, November 15th and will continue through February 15th, 2015 for Louisiana residents to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. This applies to all U.S. residents, and if you don’t participate, you will be looking at triple the fines over last year.

For Louisiana families already struggling, this is unwelcome news. The enrollment period is also shorter this time around, by two months. The clock is ticking and you must sign up and have everything taken care of by December 15th to avoid the penalties, which is 2% of your gross income.

Over 400,000 people in the state of LA were eligible for subsidies in 2013, however only a fourth of those people signed up to purchase the Obamacare insurance. According to the Louisiana Healthcare Education Coalition, there are new plans available this year that were previously unavailable.

LHEC is a great resource for residents in Lousiana who need help with understanding the news, resource and who need guidance to determine the best health care avenues for their families and themselves. They have an educational division and a staff that was founded as a civic organization, therefore they are able to offer unbiased healthcare information.

The Affordable Healthcare Act is still very confusing to most citizens of LA and throughout the country. If you have questions about your plan or changes to your current healthcare status, you can refer to the FAQs on the LHEC Website, or visit HEALTHCARE.GOV to start the enrollment process… and avoid paying those hefty fines on your tax return!