Health Care Navigators Can Guide You to Affordable Insurance Plans

BY SEAN DRISCOLL, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS, LEGAL AID OF NC     If you’re one of the million-plus uninsured North >>Carolinians looking to enroll in the new >>Health Insurance Marketplace – and maybe feeling a little overwhelmed by the process – there is a corps of experts across the state ready to help you find an affordable plan that works for you. And unlike other personal shoppers, their help comes free.

These experts, known as Navigators, have been trained to help you figure out which insurance plans you’re eligible for, enroll you in financial assistance programs if possible, and prepare your applications either online or on paper.

To schedule a meeting with a Navigator in your area, call a new toll-free hotline available only to North Carolinians at 1-855-733-3711. If you can’t get an appointment right away, don’t worry – you have until March 31^st, 2014 to enroll. If you want your insurance coverage to start by January 1^st, 2014, the deadline to enroll is December 15. >>Click here to learn about other ways to get help.

When you’re ready to enroll, you will need:

• Your social security number;
• Date of birth;
• Employer name, address, and contact info;
• Policy numbers for any coverage you might already have;
• Proof of household income—which may include: salaries, unemployment compensation, Social Security payments, and/or alimony.

For more details, >>here’s a handy cheat sheet prepared by Legal Aid of North Carolina.

Legal Aid of North Carolina is a nonprofit law firm that provides free legal help in civil cases to low-income residents. It is one of the many groups in the state that received federal funding to train Navigators to help people enroll in affordable insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act.

Legal issues surrounding public benefits, including federal benefits like Medicaid and Medicare, have long been a major focus of Legal Aid of North Carolina, whose mission in part is to remove legal barriers to economic opportunity.

To learn more about Legal Aid of North Carolina, visit their website >>www.legalaidnc.org or follow them on >>Facebook and >>Twitter.

Sean Driscoll
Director of Public Relations
Legal Aid of North Carolina
919-856-2132 Office
919-856-2120 Fax
>>seand@legalaidnc.org