There’s no shortage of reporting on the Affordable Care Act — Obamacare, to many — and the ups and downs of its implementation, its website and its future. If you’re not caught up, be sure to check out .
But if you’re shopping for a health plan, you don’t need to know as much about Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as you do about these dates and details of signing up via Connect for Health Colorado, . — Dave Burdick, The Denver Post
IMPORTANT DATES
Dec. 15, 2013. Deadline for enrolling (connectforhealthco.com or 855-752-6749) and making first payment in order for coverage to start Jan. 1, 2014.
March 31, 2014. End of open enrollment. After this date, you can only buy health insurance if you have a qualifying life event like a job loss, birth or divorce.
Be prepared
You’ll need these pieces of information when you enroll — don’t miss the Employer Coverage Tool PDF that you need to print and fill out.
Name, address, contact information
Social Security numbers of each member of your household to be covered by your plan (or document numbers for lawfully present individuals) if you are applying for financial assistance
Birth dates
Employer information for each member of your household
Income information for each member of your household (for example, wage and tax statements such as pay stubs or W2 forms)
Information about other income you receive
Information and policy numbers for health insurance plans currently covering members of your household
A completed Employer Coverage Tool (http://tinyurl.com/ectool) for each job that offers coverage to you or someone in your household, even if you/they are not enrolled in it.
Names of preferred health care providers
What levels mean
Connected to the plans available to consumers are actuarial values — shorthand for the price and comprehensiveness of the plans. A plan can be rated bronze, silver, gold or platinum. Here’s what those mean, in incredibly broad strokes (that don’t account for geography or specific personal details of a consumer).
Bronze. Consumer pays 40 percent of average expenses, plan pays 60 percent.
Silver. Consumer pays 30 percent of average expenses, plan pays 70 percent.
Gold. Consumer pays 20 percent of average expenses, plan pays 80 percent.
Platinum. Consumer pays 10 percent of average expenses, plan pays 90 percent.Sources: connectforhealthco.com, healthcare.gov
