IF YOU LOST YOUR JOB AND HEALTH INSURANCE - READ THIS!
/Are you one of the 22 million workers who have already lost your job due to the economic disruption caused by COVID-19? If so, your loss of employment and income may affect your access to health coverage.
Most people who are laid off and who receive Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits may become eligible for subsidized coverage either through The Health Insurance Marketplace or Medicaid.
Post-unemployment health coverage options will depend on
Your health insurance coverage as an employee before being laid off;
Your unemployment insurance (UI) benefits (which are used to determine eligibility for Medicaid and marketplace subsidies) and federal supplemental UI benefits (used to determine eligibility for marketplace subsidies but not Medicaid); and
whether your state has adopted the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion option and/or has reopened its marketplace open enrollment period. Medicaid expansion took effect on June 1, 2016, in Louisiana, therefore, for many low-, moderate- and even higher-income families, the income reduction from unemployment can make parents newly eligible for Medicaid.
Insurance Coverage for Children
No matter where you live, if you are unemployed and have children, you are likely eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). CHIP is open to children with family income at or well above 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in nearly all states.
Special Enrollment Period
If you lost your job and had insurance coverage through your employer before you lost your job, you qualify for a special enrollment period (SEP) in Louisiana's marketplace. If your unemployment income is between 100%-400% FPL, they may also be eligible for a subsidy to offset the cost of your health insurance. If you were uninsured while working, the SEP would not apply.
Unemployment Insurance may affect Marketplace subsidy
If you lost job-based health insurance coverage and are receiving federal unemployment benefits, you may qualify for a marketplace subsidy of up to $600 per month towards your health insurance costs.
Assuming that you receive this supplement for most of the temporary period or 17 weeks, this will add $10,200 in unemployment income to your UI benefits. The federal poverty line for a single individual is an annual income of $12,760. If your income is currently between 100% and 400% of this individual FPL, you will qualify for tax credits that lower your monthly health insurance plan.
Adults with income below poverty generally do not qualify for marketplace subsidies. However, new federal supplemental UI benefits recently enacted by Congress may lift some poor adults out of the coverage gap, making them newly eligible for Marketplace subsidies.
