Time may pass at a fixed rate, but our perception of it wildly fluctuates, especially as we approach end-of-the-year milestones.

Sure, if I stare at my watch or the clocks on my wall, their hands tick away at a steady rate. However, if I take my eye off them, they get up to chronal surges and other shenanigans.

There's a lot to do before open enrollment, the once-a-year limited window when most people sign up for health coverage or revisit existing plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace. We are working to spread awareness to give more people the information they need to improve their health and outlook. Time is valuable and must be invested wisely.

And whenever I glance at the clock, I see it has jumped ahead. Just a few more blinks, we'll be at open enrollment.

In the precious time that we have left, I hope you're willing to read more about what Enroll Wyoming is doing to be ready to help people meet personal needs and think about how you might be able to help us out. As I said, there's a lot to do, and we welcome all the help we can get.

-- Caleb Michael Smith, Enroll Wyoming marketing director

Many people need quality, affordable health insurance. The Health Insurance Marketplace was established to offer the uninsured and underinsured access to comprehensive coverage.

Open enrollment is the time when people can sign up for marketplace coverage or renew plans for 2023. This year, open enrollment runs from Nov. 1, 2022, to Jan. 15, 2023. While some may qualify for a special enrollment period outside of that time frame, the majority of signups occur during open enrollment. It's better take advantage of this open window than to risk of having to wait until November 2023 to sign up for coverage that won't start until 2024.

There are additional deadlines to consider. When you sign up for new marketplace plans will determine when your health insurance starts. If you want coverage to begin on Jan. 1, 2023, you must sign up by Dec. 15, 2022. For health insurance to start on Feb. 1, 2023, sign up by Jan. 15, 2023.

There are great savings to be found in the marketplace. Thanks to additional cost savings like advanced tax credits, about four out of five people qualify for health insurance that costs less than $50 a month.

Enroll Wyoming provides free assistance to explore options, explain what coverage may entail, and help people sign up for marketplace insurance if someone decide that best suits their needs. Being a grant-funded nonprofit, we concentrate on providing information and don't have to worry about sales quotas or incentives.

The annual CoverWyo conference to help people prepare for open enrollment took place Oct. 10-11 in Casper. The Wyoming Primary Care Association and Enroll Wyoming hosted the event and were thrilled by the turnout. There were representatives from the Wyoming Department of Insurance, Casper Home Health, Wind River Clinic, Hot Springs County Senior Center, Northwest Healthcare, Community Action Partnership of Natrona County, Community Service Block Grant, Community Center of Casper, Wyoming Medicaid-Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Bear Lake Health Clinic, Healthcare for the Homeless of Natrona County, University of Wyoming Family Medicine, HealthWorks, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Mountain Health CO-OP, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and other local dignitaries.

There were presentations on the history of enrollment out reach in Wyoming, best practices, what marketplace plans will include in 2023, and a spirited enrollment demonstration. To see slides from the presentations, click here.

We hope people had a fun, informative time and have extra tools, tactics, and teammates to aid their community when open enrollment starts on Nov. 1.

The ongoing public health emergency related to the coronavirus has been extended again, meaning benefits and support will continue to be provided. However, many challenges are expected when the declaration ends and people have to reapply for programs or seek alternative assistance.

The emergency has been in place since Jan. 27, 2020, and has been steadily extended by 90-day increments. The most recent extension continues through Jan. 11, 2023. Before the emergency can end, notice must be given within 60 days. That means we should know by Nov. 12 if it will be continued again.

During the emergency, individuals have remained enrolled in programs like Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) without having to reapply. During a presentation at CoverWyo 2022, Jeff Oliver with Wyoming Medicaid said that the inability to dis-enroll members caused eligibility in Medicaid to climb from 58,000 people in March 2020 to 81,815 people in July 2022.

A backlog of applications is expected when the emergency ends. Some people may no longer meet program qualifications and will have to seek health coverage elsewhere.

In anticipation of the wave of applications, Oliver suggested the following steps to be prepared:

-- Make sure clients update any changes to address, phone, or email to Medicaid/CHIP. That way they don't miss important paperwork or other updates.

-- Educate clients on eligibility guidelines for Wyoming Medicaid.

Examples include income standards (federal poverty level), age, household composition, program categories, etc.

-- Be prepared to help clients with the Health Insurance Marketplace as it is expected many people will no longer qualify for Medicaid. Enroll Wyoming can provide this kind of assistance.

People who lose health insurance, Medicaid, or CHIP qualify for a special enrollment period in the marketplace.

"We don't want to unravel, we want to unwind," Oliver said.

With open enrollment at hand, the Better Business Bureau warned of health-related scams.

Be wary of anyone who contacts you unsolicited 

Healthcare.gov offers help with figuring out which plan is right for you. These people — sometimes called Navigators (Enroll Wyoming's staff are Healthcare.gov Navigators) or Assisters — are not allowed to charge for their help. If someone asks you for payment, it’s a scam. You will also need to contact them. They will not call you out of the blue. Enroll Wyoming Navigators are the most secure and best way to learn more about your health insurance options on the Marketplace.

Keep a healthy level of skepticism any time a broker offers you free gifts or other special deals. Never sign up with a broker who offers you an expensive sign-up gift in exchange for providing your Medicare ID number or other personally identifiable information. Other times, brokers offer free "health screenings" to weed out people who are less healthy. This is called “cherry picking” and is against the Medicare rules. Plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace do not discriminate against or charge more if a person has a pre-existing condition.

If you want to make changes to your health care plan, go directly to Medicare.gov, Healthcare.gov, or your employer's health insurance provider. Don't click on links in suspicious messages. 

If you receive an unexpected email about benefit policies, ask your employer about it before you click on anything to make sure it’s legitimate. 

If you suspect fraud when signing up for Health Insurance Marketplace coverage, go to HealthCare.gov or call the marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596. 

Get more tips from the BBB on avoiding health care scams.

On each date webinars will be conducted at noon and 6 p.m.

November 2: Carbon, Teton, Sublette, Lincoln, Uinta, Sweetwater

November 3: Park, Hot Springs, Washakie, Big Horn

November 8: Albany, Laramie, Goshen, Platte

November 9: Natrona, Converse, Niobrara

November 15: Sheridan, Johnson, Campbell, Crook, Weston:

November 17: Wind River Indian Reservation, Fremont:

December 6: Statewide option if you are unable to attend the above dates:

Register for any of the above dates here.

Like helping people? Want to make a positive impact in your community?

For more information, click on this link, or go to the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center's careers page and search for "Seasonal Health Insurance Navigator."

Bees communicate by dancing. According to Arizona State University, worker bees returning to the hive with nectar or pollen tell other worker bees how to find the flower through a "waggle dance."

Open enrollment starts on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

-- There will be an Enroll Wyoming presentation at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 at the North Big Horn Senior Center on 757 Great Western Avenue in Lowell.

-- Enroll Wyoming will have a booth at the Halloween Harvest Market starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Event Center at Archer on 3801 Archer Parkway in Cheyenne.

-- Casper will have a job fair on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Casper National Guard Armory located at 5905 CY Avenue. The hours are 9-10 a.m. for veterans only and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the general public.

-- There will be a Veterans' Stand Down for veterans and their families who are at risk of becoming homeless or are homeless from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Forum 619 on 619 S. Greeley Highway in Cheyenne. Enroll Wyoming will be there to answer questions about health coverage resources. For more information, contact 307-514-0035.

-- Enroll Wyoming will present information about the Health Insurance Marketplace and Navigator duties beginning at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Park County Library on 1500 Heart Mountain St. in Cody.

People can sign up for appointments at the library between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.

-- Representatives from Enroll Wyoming will be at the Wyoming Legal and Resource Fair starting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the First United Methodist Church on 108 East 18th Street in Cheyenne.

-- Call to make appointments for a series of enrollment events in Casper. People can meet at times between 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Wednesday, Nov. 2, to Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Natrona County Public Library on 307 East Second Street in Casper. To make an appointment, dial 307-577-7328 and ask for the reference desk.

-- There will be an Enroll Wyoming booth Parent Engagement and Educational Partnership with Schools (PEEPS) meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, at 2811 House Ave. Door No. 4 in Cheyenne.

-- There will be an Enroll Wyoming information booth at the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Center at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 5221 Yellowstone Road in Cheyenne.

-- Enroll Wyoming will present to the Green River Chamber of Commerce during the meeting that starts at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the

Hampton Inn and Suites at1055 Wild Horse Canyon Road in Green River.

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