The open enrollment period for the health insurance marketplace is the busiest time of the year for Enroll Wyoming, and it's about to start!

The marketplace was created so more people could find and afford quality health insurance. For plans to be included in the marketplace, they must cover 10 essential benefits, including prescription drugs, lab services, preventative care, and pediatric services. Tax credits and other cost savings are available to make monthly premiums or payments more affordable.

Most people who use the marketplace sign up during open enrollment, which runs from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15. Sign up by Dec. 15, 2023, if you want your coverage to start on Jan. 1, 2024. Sign up by the final deadline, and coverage will start on Feb. 1, 2024.

After open enrollment ends, only people who qualify for special enrollment will be able to sign up for marketplace plans.

Schedule an appointment with an Enroll Wyoming navigator to help with your marketplace or Medicaid application, now.

We are asking partners and individuals to help spread the word by sharing informational materials through social media and newsletters. Find more informational resources like more graphics here.

A member of Enroll Wyoming earned national attention for her efforts to help families find affordable health insurance. Cynthia Nunley has worked more than a decade with Enroll Wyoming, a nonprofit that offers free help for people to explore health coverage options. She is one of 10 people in the country highlighted as a role model for health insurance assistance.

“We are on the frontline helping consumers who often have no other place to go,” Cynthia said.

She received this honor from Beyond the Basics, a nonprofit policy organization whose work focuses on better understanding Medicaid, the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and marketplace health coverage. It recognized 10 honorees as part of its 10th anniversary celebration of the Affordable Care Act.

Cynthia is based in Casper but has traversed the state as a navigator answering questions that allow families to make informed decisions. At one point, Nunley was the only navigator serving Wyoming, noted fellow Navigator Festi Edwards, who nominated her for the recognition.

“Cynthia Nunley has been a beacon of hope since the beginning of the Affordable Care Act and is still going strong, saving lives 10 years later,” Festi wrote. “She works selflessly, tirelessly, and with great passion to find, educate, and assist consumers, always going the extra mile to help.”

Cynthia customizes her work based on an individual’s needs or priorities. This may include enrolling people in the health insurance marketplace, which is designed to make coverage more accessible and affordable. Cynthia is quick to praise the impact of the health insurance marketplace. She said the very first person enrolled through the Enroll Wyoming grant needed a life-saving operation and was able to get it after qualifying for a health insurance plan with cost-sharing reductions. Without the procedure, the woman’s doctor predicted she would have died in months.

When asked to share her experience with the Beyond the Basics audience, Cynthia said she may not always be able to get people health insurance, but the support she provides should give consumers sufficient knowledge and empowerment to change their lives.

In addition to garnering accolades as an assister, Cynthia is a retired teacher, plays in the Casper Municipal Band, and is an organizer/board member for the annual state Native American Education Conference.

Cynthia was featured in a Beyond the Basics webinar on Oct. 12.

Enroll Wyoming and the Wyoming Primary Care Association want to thank everyone who attended the 2023 CoverWyo conference in Casper. We are thankful for the great presenters, thoughtful one-on-one and group discussions, and the hardworking support staff that kept things going.

It's OK if you weren't able to attend. People can learn from presentations, links, videos, and other resources on topics including health insurance marketplace basics, Medicaid updates, fraud prevention, tax tips, assistance for the self-employed, and more at the conference resource page.

By Navigator Nancy Drummond

It’s that time of the year again for open enrollment for Medicare D and the marketplace. Medicare has four parts.

Medicare A covers hospitalization: If you have worked 10 years or 40 quarters, you qualify for Medicare A with no premium. When it comes to hospitalization, you must be in the hospital for treatment, not observation. Medicare A does not pay for observation.

Medicare B covers doctors, labs, outpatient surgery and durable equipment (shower chairs, wheelchairs and other items): Medicare B costs $164.90 a month with a yearly deductible of $226 this year but we do expect it to increase in 2024.

Medicare A and B generally pay 80% of most medical services. If you are turning 65, you have three months before your birthday, the month of your birthday, and three months after your birthday to enroll with no penalties. There are exceptions if you have employer-provided insurance.

To learn more, continue Nancy's column in the Sheridan Press. You can also watch Enroll Wyoming's monthly update, which included details on the Medicare Part D open enrollment season that runs through Dec. 7. If you need help signing up for Medicare Part D, you can call the Wyoming State Health Insurance Information Program at 1-800-8564398 or 307-214-0786.

There exist people who want to use your Medicare/Medicaid information to submit false medical charges to get reimbursement money from the insurance companies. These people often use text, email, or phone calls to ask you for your personal information. The Better Business Bureau shared common scams to watch for:

-- The “fraudster” pretends to be someone from the government saying you need to update your account information to send a new card.

-- They will ask for your account number in exchange for free equipment or services. You will not get anything for free by giving away your account information!

-- A call seemingly from HealthCare.gov or the health insurance marketplace saying that you must either buy health insurance or face a fine. As of 2018, there is no longer a fine for not having health insurance. 

-- A more recent scam involves a lie that new Medicare card have microchips in them (they don’t) and you must verify your information.

How do you protect yourself? Medicare will never contact you via text, email, or phone to verify your information. When in doubt, hang up and go to the official websites of Wyoming Medicaid or Medicare). Do NOT share any personal information with anyone who calls unsolicited.

It's time to get flu shots. While seasonal influenza viruses are detected year-round in the United States, flu viruses typically circulate during the fall and winter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Wyoming Department of Health said the best way to prevent flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year. It recommends that almost everyone over the age of six months should get a seasonal flu shot. The department noted that certain population groups are more vulnerable to serious flu-related illness or even death, including people over 60, pregnant women, children under 5, and people with underlying conditions (asthma, diabetes, heart disease, etc.).

To see local vaccine providers, see this map offered by the Wyoming Department of Health.

Do you know children who are easily overstimulated? Want to better understand how they feel and how to offer comfort? Check out the book "Too Much! An Overwhelming Day" by author Jolene Gutiérrez and illustrator Angel Chang.

Those with oversaturated senses may have difficulty expressing their concerns and needs. This book offers a peek into their perspective. See what can cause people to feel overloaded and what can get them back on track. Gutiérrez concludes the book with a list of resources and sense soothing tips.

-- Enroll Wyoming will be at the Albany County Public Library on 310 South Eighth Street in Laramie on Thursdays. Call 307-307-509-0508 for an appointment.

-- Watch the next Enroll Wyoming update video at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26. We will go over Medicare basics in advance of Medicare Part D open enrollment. Watch us on Facebook or YouTube.

-- Enroll Wyoming will be available to work with people from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 2-3 at the Natrona County Public Library on 307 East Second Street in Casper.

As a statewide nonprofit, Enroll Wyoming works with many partners in dozens of communities around the Equality State.

Click here or the graphic below to see flyers for upcoming events, details about important campaigns, community resources, and ways to make our state better and brighter.