About 350 area residents are expected to seek help getting health insurance this year, creating a bigger burden on the reduced number of Navigators who provide that help.
Reduced federal funding for the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, means Thrive Allen County hired just three Navigators this year, down from six last year, according to Kelli Frazell, director of health programs with Thrive.
The change means Thrive will offer help by appointment only at their office at 9 S. Jefferson Ave., with special hours on select Saturdays and at the Humboldt Library. Thrives phone is 620-365-8128.
Cindy Greenhagen of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, 2051 N. State St., is also a local Navigator. She can be reached by calling 620-380-6600.
Joy Miller of the Southwind Extension District also works as a Navigator out of their Fort Scott office. She can be reached by calling 620-223-3720.
Appointments could fill up fast, so those looking for help should call immediately. The open enrollment period ends Dec. 15.
Thrive is offering extended and evening hours, including some Saturday appointments.
Were really flexible. We will work with your schedule, Frazell said.
The Affordable Care Act offers health insurance through its Marketplace, with tax credits available to help offset the cost of premiums. Tax credits and cost of the monthly premium will vary, depending on the size of a household and its income.
Overall, premiums through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas increased 8.28% this year compared to last year, Frazell said. Most Allen County and area residents who use the Marketplace obtain BCBS.
And though premiums may cost more, in many cases those increases could be offset by an increased tax credit. Thrive navigator Greta Ingle said she worked with one resident, a single man with an annual income of around $22,000, whose premium costs decreased to $17.69 this year from nearly $30 last year after receiving a monthly subsidy of more than $900.
But Frazell said one of her clients saw his premium increase about $45 a month, from $165 last year to $210. Without the subsidy, he would have paid $1,200 per month for the policy.
ITS heartbreaking to tell someone they dont qualify for affordable health insurance through the Marketplace, Frazell said. Thats because of the Medicaid gap, when someone makes too much money to qualify for Medicaid but doesnt make enough to qualify for a tax credit through the Affordable Care Act.
For example, a family of three with dependent children cant have an income of more than 33 percent of the federal poverty level, or $6,738 in 2017.
