If you missed any of our recent articles on medical debt, here is the full series.

Part I. Medical Debt: A Threat to Your Finances

Part II. 8 Steps to Keep Medical Debt Off Your Credit Report

Part III. How Can I Get Help with Medical Debt?

Open Enrollment for Individual Health Insurance Continues

If you want to buy individual insurance or at least check out your options, the open enrollment period continues through January 15th in most states. (Idaho ends on December 15th and a few states extended the deadline to January 31st.) But remember you need to enroll by December 15th for coverage to start on January 1st — and to pay your first month’s bill ahead of time!   

You can apply and enroll on Healthcare.gov (it will direct you to your state-specific marketplace if there is one), and you can browse plans and costs as well without signing up for an account.   

The federal government is back open now after the shutdown, but there is still no news on extending the enhanced subsidies that are set to expire this year or any other definitive plans to help affordability. Discussions continue on this topic so stay tuned.  

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Cost Transparency Rules for Planned Medical Services are Delayed

The federal No Surprises Act of 2020 has helped protect insured people from receiving additional surprise medical bills in certain situations such as emergencies. However, it was supposed to also help patients get a “good faith estimate” up front of what they would owe out-of-pocket for non-emergency health services.  

The act stated these rules would be implemented in 2022, but they have not been finalized yet and research continues. Members of Congress are pushing to get the rules implemented, since they have bipartisan support. Implementation will help consumers manage their health expenses better and make informed choices. 

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New Research Shows Odds of Surviving Cancer Significantly Decrease When Credit Score Decreases 

More bad news that ties together negative financial situations and poor health outcomes: research shows a dip in cancer patients’ credit scores corresponds with higher mortality. Previous research has showed similar findings tying health with financial hardship and medical debt, but this one focused on credit scores in particular as an objective measure of financial health.   

Research continues to narrow down the causes of this association, such as if some patients are choosing not to get all the health care they need due to high costs. This study took place in Massachusetts, which has the lowest rate of uninsured people in the nation, so the results would undoubtedly be worse in other states. 

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With open enrollment underway, so are the scammers and junk plan sellers. Junk plans refer to coverage that doesn't comply with the consumer protections and benefit standards of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These plans offer lower premiums but provide very limited coverage. However, not all bad actors are out to sell you skimpy insurance. Some just want to steal your personal information or sign you up for a different plan without your knowledge to get a payout.

Scammers use unsolicited calls, text messages, ads, dangerous links, emails, and fake websites to target shoppers. If someone sends you a message out of the blue asking for personal information, don't trust them. Call your health insurance provider directly, use a government website such as Healthcare.gov or your state marketplace website, or contact a licensed insurance agent/broker to understand your options.

Read more about spotting health insurance scams

What To Do If Your Doctor Is Suddenly Out-of-Network

The article “So Your Insurance Dropped Your Doctor. Now What?” explains six things you need to know if a doctor you were seeing is suddenly out-of-network for your insurance plan due to contract negotiations between providers and insurance companies. The inconveniences probably can’t be helped, but it says “Rifts between hospitals and insurers often get repaired” and “You might qualify for an exception to keep costs lower.”  

Bonus Resource:

An Interesting list titled “50 populations whose lives are better thanks to the ACA” summarizes various policies. There are more groups included here than you would think (and not just people with individual insurance) — maybe you are in one or more of them!