November 1st is an important day on the calendar in contemporary American life. It’s nowhere near as festive occasion as Halloween, which comes the day before, nor is it a holiday for somber reflection as is Veteran’s Day, which follows only 10 days later. But is highly significant all the same as it marks the day on which the open enrollment period begins under the Affordable Healthcare Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. For those of us who represent and fight the good fight on behalf of personal injury victims, the open enrollment period provides an important opportunity to protect the interests of at least some of our clients.
Let’s face it. Many people are flummoxed when it comes to picking a policy on the healthcare exchanges. This is not at all surprising given the operational problems attendant on the rollout of Obamacare and the inherently confusing nature of most policy descriptions. This process can be even more of a challenge for people who formerly qualified for some form of government assistance and are unaccustomed to dealing with and analyzing the fine print on healthcare policies. All too often we have found situations where clients, left to their own devices, end up selecting policies with unreasonably high deductibles or other similar deficiencies, which effectively eviscerate the benefits of coverage.
But having good healthcare coverage is critical for clients, particularly those who have sustained chronic or disabling injuries. And it’s important to remember that any client, who is currently on Medicaid and stands on the verge or has already come into a sizable award, whether by settlement or judicial decision, is in jeopardy of losing Medicaid eligibility.
Yet personal injury lawyers often lack the expertise or are otherwise loath to get involved in sorting through this aspect of their clients’ lives. As a result, helping to analyze and select appropriate healthcare coverage has emerged as an important part of the work we do on behalf of the injured. We have the expertise to sort through the jargon and the pros and cons of platinum, gold and silver plans. Not only can we help your clients find the most suitable policy but we can also identify those who will qualify for some sort of financial assistance or premium subsidy.
So now that Open Enrollment Season is here again, don’t lose this opportunity to attend to your clients’ healthcare insurance needs. We strongly recommend that you review healthcare coverage options now since some choices may be foreclosed once the current Open Enrollment period expires. In conjunction with your efforts to win the largest possible award for their injuries, we can help you by undertaking a thorough needs analysis and putting your clients on a successful path that insures the continuity of affordable and effective healthcare coverage.
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