If you are one of the individuals that purchase health insurance through the marketplace, you have some important deadlines approaching. If you want your coverage to begin on January 1, 2022 and you are enrolled in a plan through Healthcare.gov then you needed to enroll by December 15^th.

If you live in Maryland, you have until December 31, 2021. Each year, you need to review, update, or enroll in marketplace plans. If you don’t meet these deadlines, you have until January 15, 2022 with the health insurance plan beginning February 1, 2022.

In case you are thinking, “Why do I need health insurance?” let me share a couple of reasons. To begin, there is peace of mind. Having health insurance provides us with the resources we need to address health issues when they arise.

It also protects your financial resources from unexpected medical bills. Over 20% of Americans struggle to pay medical bills and 3 in 5 bankruptcies are due to medical bills. Health insurance provides you with wellness services and programs to help you stay healthy.  When you have and use your health insurance, you have better health outcomes. When you are sick and use your health insurance you get well faster and miss less work or school.

Now you’re thinking, what is my next step? That’s simple, visit Healthcare.gov. If you live in Maryland, you can go directly to Maryland Health Connection. There are navigators and assistors ready to help. If you are not sure how to select a policy, use our workbook. It will walk you through step by step process of comparing health insurance policies.