On November 9, 2022

Open Enrollment 2023: Vermonters can now sign up for health insurance

Nov. 1 marks the first day Vermonters can sign up for or change their health and dental plans for 2023.

Thanks to a new law that extends financial help through 2025, Vermonters can get lower-cost health plans that cover preventive care like mental health services and annual check-ups.

Vermonters can save money on the amount they pay for plans, called premiums, if they qualify and sign up on the health insurance marketplace.

Tens of thousands of Vermonters already use this financial help, called subsidies or federal tax credits, to buy insurance through Vermont Health Connect. This year increased financial help is available through the federal government and more Vermonters who have access to employer health insurance can get this help through the marketplace.

“Vermont has one of the lowest uninsured rates in the country,” said Andrea De La Bruere, commissioner of the Dept. of Vermont Health Access. “We at the department advocated strongly for financial help so that Vermonters can become and stay insured through affordable, accessible health plans.”

Over 90% of people who are enrolled through the health insurance marketplace qualify for financial help; 25% of enrollees pay less than $25 a month for their health plans, and 10% pay less than $10 a month. For example, an eligible individual earns $40,000 a year could get the lowest-cost Gold plan for $195 a month – a savings of $699 each month thanks to federal subsidies. A family of four with a household income of $100,000 could get the same plan for $721 a month — a monthly savings of $1,737, or more than $20,000 per year. “A few years ago, I had Medicaid coverage. When I started earning more money, I no longer qualified,” said Kay Greenwood of Bennington. “This year, I reached out to an ‘assister’ who helped me find out how much health plans cost and what they covered. The process was stress-free and I signed up for the plan that’s right for me, with no gaps in health care or insurance coverage.”

In the past, people who had access to health insurance through a family member’s job were typically blocked from getting less expensive coverage through the marketplace. This year, a fix is in place. Now, more Vermonters whose employer-sponsored plans are expensive can benefit from subsidies. The fix may make health insurance more affordable and within reach. It’s best to sign up by Dec. 15. Coverage will begin on Feb. 1, 2023 for people who enroll between Dec. 16, 2022 and Jan. 15, 2023.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

VFFC reopens Farmers Hall and welcomes the return of the winter farmers’ market

November 13, 2024
RUTLAND — The Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) welcomed the community back into Farmers Hall on Nov. 2. “We are incredibly happy to host the Winter Farmers Market again in Farmers Hall,” said an enthusiastic Heidi Lynch, the VFFC’s executive director. During the renovation of the VFFC buildings at the former industrial site at 251…

Milk cows! Not taxpayers! 

October 30, 2024
Dear Editor, I am a delivery driver and service technician for a home heating company. The candidates on the ballot who will not destroy the home heat industry, which my coworkers and I rely upon to support our families in Vermont, are Republicans. The candidates on the ballot who will not increase our home heating…

Vote for Windsor Dems

October 23, 2024
Dear Editor, I urge my friends and neighbors to elect Joe Major and to re-elect Alison Clarkson and Becca White to the Vermont Senate. Major offers intelligence and extensive management experience. He listens with an open heart and an open mind. Clarkson and White have risen to the challenges of governing in a time of…

Gov. Phil Scott’s shelter plan met with relief and skepticism

October 23, 2024
By Carly Berlin/VTDigger This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public. Some service providers and municipal leaders are suggesting that the Gov. Phil Scott administration’s plan to assemble three family shelters in state-owned buildings amounts to too little, too late.  For weeks, local officials, lawmakers, and service providers have been…