New Mexico Mercury

Editor's note: This is the second update on what to expect as the Affordable Care Act goes into effect in New Mexico.  The first part is here.

With less than two weeks to go, a critical component of the Affordable Care Act, the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange, unveiled its new look and commitment to becoming part of the landscape of New Mexico starting October 1, 2013.  The new website was unveiled Tuesday morning and you can check it out at: BeWellNM.com. In addition, the Exchange is getting ready to initiate a campaign of radio and television advertisements touting its services shortly.

The Exchange will feature five plans selling health insurance coverage from Blue Cross, Lovelace, Molina, New Mexico Health Connections, and Presbyterian. Purchasing through the Exchange means that people may be entitled to subsidies to offset the costs of their premiums.

The site will continuously update information, but just to get started, here are some facts:

• The NM Health Insurance Exchange will sell plans for individuals and small employers (less than 50 employees).  It will help people find coverage and offer subsidies to ensure that no one pays more than 9.5% of their income in premiums. 

• You can sign up for coverage any time after October 1, but coverage will only be effective starting January 1, 2014. 

• Under the Affordable Care Act, you cannot be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions; you will have no lifetime limits on coverage if you pay your premiums; and all plans have to cover all essential health benefits (such as doctors office visits, emergency visits, hospitalizations, maternity care, pediatric care, prescriptions, mental and behavioral health, rehabilitation, diagnostic tests, etc).  You will also be able to get care for preventive screenings with no co-pays or deductibles.  There are brochures and information flyers available on this site that provides more information.

Remember:  Nothing changes for people who are happy with their insurance coverage or for people on Medicare.  The Exchange is for people who are currently uninsured or want to change their coverage.

Over the next few weeks, the Exchange will be adding more information:  comparative premium rates for the various plans, and a 24/7 phone number will be initiated to assist people who have questions. It’s not done, but we are almost there.