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5 Tips for Choosing the Right Health Insurance Plan
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5 Tips for Choosing the Right Health Insurance Plan

10.16.2024

If you don't have health insurance through your employer, spouse, parents or another source, you can sign up through Health Care Marketplace

​ROME, Ga., Oct. 16, 2024 – Many adults who have lost their job are faced with the stress of both unemployment and the added costs associated with providing their own health insurance or going without the safety net health insurance offers.

Some people may consider forgoing health insurance but going without health insurance puts you at greater risk for even higher medical expenses and financial liability, whenever unexpected illness or injury occur.

Health insurance offers medical and financial protection in case of a serious illness or accident. In addition to protecting your health, health insurance can help guard against financial hardship, debt and even bankruptcy.

If you don't have health insurance through your employer, your spouse, your parents or another source, you can sign up for private health insurance. In the past, people with preexisting medical conditions were often denied health insurance or charged extremely high premiums.

Today, you can purchase private health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace regardless of your past or current health. During open enrollment which ends Jan. 15, 2025, you can buy a health insurance plan on the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace that meets your needs.

The coverage will begin Jan. 1 if you enroll by Dec. 15, 2024.

Tips for choosing the right plan on Health Care Marketplace:

1. Don't miss the deadline

Open enrollment is a period when the Health Insurance Marketplace accepts applications for health insurance. Open enrollment for 2025 starts Nov. 1, 2024, and ends on January 15, 2025.

It's best to choose a plan as soon as open enrollment begins, so there are no gaps in your insurance coverage. The coverage will begin Jan. 1 if you enroll in a plan by Dec. 15, 2024.

2. Choose a health care plan that fits your life

When choosing a health insurance plan, ask yourself:

  • What are my family's most important health care needs?
  • Who is healthy and who may need more care in the coming year?
  • Is anyone planning a surgery or a pregnancy?
  • Am I happy with my current plan? If not, what's missing?
  • What did I spend on health insurance last year? Do I expect that amount to change next year?
  • How much do I want to spend on health insurance each month?

3. Change or renew your current plan

Open enrollment is the only time of year to renew or change your current plan (without a qualifying life event). It's the perfect time to consider what you like about your current health insurance benefits, and what – if anything – you would like to change.

4. See if you qualify for tax credits or subsidies

If you can't afford to buy private health insurance on the Healthcare Marketplace, you may qualify for tax credits or subsidies to help offset the costs of insurance.

The size of your family and your household income determine whether or not you qualify for tax credits which can be used to reduce the cost of monthly health insurance premiums or be issued as a refund on your tax return.

In addition to tax credits, you may qualify for a reduced-cost health insurance plan based on your income, or for your state's Medicaid program. See if you qualify.

5. Choose the right network

In-network is the term used to describe a group of health care providers that your insurance company has agreements with. When you seek in-network care, your insurance usually covers more of your fees and your overall health care costs are lower.

If you choose to go to a doctor or hospital that is out-of-network, you're more likely to pay higher out-of-pocket fees than you would if you stayed in network. So, staying in network – and choosing the right network – is important.


About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd employs more than 3,500 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at three hospitals: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 304-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; as well as Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health – a freestanding 53-bed behavioral health facility in Rome – and also primary care and urgent care network locations throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.

About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, which was created from the combination with Advocate Aurora Health. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is its academic core. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association's Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing $2.8 billion last year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits. 

About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.