State officials say that aspects of Maine's new, state-run health insurance marketplace will make it easier for residents to select the right plan.
Earlier this month, the state announced that the federal government had approved Maine's plan to run its own marketplace. On Thursday, officials announced that with open enrollment beginning next month, the state has created a new online tool offering more data on the 71 plans on the marketplace.
Meg Garratt-Reed, the acting director of the state's Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace, said that customers can more easily estimate costs of each plan and look into potential financial assistance online, meaning more information on exactly what the plan will cost.
"So instead of just providing the monthly premium, which is one cost, this tool will estimate the premium and out-of-pocket costs throughout the year," Garratt-Reed said. "Which can help people select the plan that's the best for their total budget, rather than focusing on just the monthly premium cost."
Officials said that the state is also increasing funding for outreach, a dedicated help line and bringing on more groups to help customers navigate the marketplace.
"If they're focused on a population and want to provide targeted outreach, targeted assistance, for example, in languages other than English, this is a new opportunity for them to receive funding," Garratt-Reed said.
Residents can begin to look at plans beginning on October 15th at CoverME.gov. Open enrollment will run from November 1st through January 15th. The state will also have a special enrollment period for pregnant women if they need coverage outside of that period.
About 60,000 Mainers signed up for a plan on the marketplace last year.
