Pennsylvanians Have Until Midnight to Enroll in Coverage for 2021.
Pennie urges all Pennsylvanians to visit pennie.com and enroll in a plan by midnight for 2021 health coverage.
Harrisburg, PA – January 15, 2021 – Pennie leadership strongly reminded Pennsylvanians today that January 15 is the final day to enroll in health insurance through Pennie for 2021 coverage. Pennsylvanians have until 11:59 pm to shop, compare and select a health insurance plan for coverage that begins February 2021. In order to accommodate customers enrolling before the deadline, the Pennie Call Center will be open until midnight tonight. The Pennie Call Center can be reached at 1-844-844-8040.
Today, at a press conference, Jessica Altman, Pennsylvania Insurance Department Commissioner and Zachary Sherman, Pennie Executive Director, stressed the importance of enrolling in health insurance and how Pennie can help make it a smooth process. Executive Director Sherman explained how being covered with health insurance protects both your physical health as well as your financial health. He noted, “Most people will never regret having health insurance, but they will regret not having it when something unexpected happens.” Last year proved that unexpected events can occur, but Pennie is here to help. For those worried about the cost, Pennie is the only source for financial assistance to help decrease the cost of coverage and care. Nearly 9 out of 10 customers qualify for financial assistance.
In line with Governor Wolf’s priorities, Pennie is a demonstration of Pennsylvania’s bi-partisan dedication to identifying and implementing initiatives that drive down health care costs, without compromising access and quality of care. Switching from Healthcare.gov to Pennie allowed the state-based marketplace to better serve Pennsylvanians directly. Pennie was excited to be able to provide customers a longer time to transition and enroll in coverage, extending the enrollment period four weeks longer than the federal platform to better serve individuals and families across the Commonwealth.
“Pennsylvania’s State-Based Exchange, Pennie, has successfully created a path towards making health insurance more affordable and accessible to all residents,” said Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman. “Moving away from the federal marketplace and transitioning to a state-based marketplace provided the state with the opportunity to specifically focus on the needs of Pennsylvanians and provide a quality customer assistance experience.”
Commissioner Altman noted the expanded affordability is also a result of the Insurance Department’s implementation of the reinsurance program, which can be credited with the market seeing a statewide average premium decrease this year rather than an increase. For the 2021 plan year, marketplace premiums decreased by an average of 3.3 percent.
Providing high-quality customer service is a priority for Pennie. When individuals visit pennie.com, they will find a number of resources to help them understand the insurance-buying process. They can connect with Pennie-certified Assisters or Brokers to help with the application and shopping phases, and they can see if they qualify for financial assistance to help with the cost of monthly premiums or out-of-pocket expenses.
Current and potential customers are urged to shop and select a plan by midnight tonight to ensure 2021 coverage. Pennie encourages anyone who is uninsured and seeking coverage, and potentially financial assistance, to go to pennie.com or to call the Pennie Call Center at 1-844-844-8040 before midnight to enroll in one of the high-quality options available in their area.
About Pennie
Pennie is Pennsylvania’s new state-affiliated health insurance marketplace created to reduce costs and better support the needs of customers purchasing health coverage. For more information, visit pennie.com or follow us on social at fb.com/PenniePA and Twitter.com/PennieOfficial.
# # #
Media Contact:
Chachi Angelo
Pennie Marketing and Communications Manager
717-460-4971