Health Insurance
Affordable Care Act basics
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. This law was designed to bring comprehensive health insurance reforms, hold insurance carriers accountable for costs, as well as give more consumers access to health care.
Each year, there is a period of time called “open enrollment", when you can shop and apply for a new health insurance plan if you find your current plan unsuitable. Once open enrollment period ends, you cannot buy or change a plan unless you have a qualifying life event (such as losing your current coverage, getting married or having a baby).
Consumers are also offered tax credits if their household income falls below established thresholds.
How NJ residents can purchase health insurance
GetCoveredNJ is a source of affordable health insurance for New Jersey residents.
Effective November 2020, New Jersey will transition from using the federal Marketplace, healthcare.gov, to a State-based Exchange, also referred to as the Marketplace, Get Covered New Jersey. This year's Open Enrollment Period is November 1, 2020 and ending January 31, 2021.
Get Covered New Jersey is the state's official health insurance marketplace where individuals and families can easily shop for and buy coverage. It is the only place you can apply for financial help to lower the cost of your monthly insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. You can learn if you might qualify for free or low-cost health insurance through NJ FamilyCare, New Jersey’s publicly funded health insurance program.
Get Covered New Jersey is where you can:
- Shop online and compare plans that cover essential health benefits as required by the Affordable Care Act.
- Apply for financial help to lower your health insurance costs.
- Work with certified experts who can answer questions and guide you through enrollment at no cost to you.
You can compare health plans and estimate how much financial help you might qualify for before you apply. The shop and compare tool lets you compare plans based on your:
- eligibility for financial help
- monthly premiums
- covered doctors
- estimated total healthcare costs for the year.
The marketplace is designed to work directly with you, the health care consumer. While we regret we cannot place this insurance for you, we think you will find GetCoveredNJ is a user-friendly website with plenty of guidance to get you in the right plan for you and your family.