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It's Not Too Late To Sign Up For Health Care In Colorado

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Flickr-Creative Commons

The new year is upon us, but that doesn't mean it's too late to get health insurance through Connect For Health Colorado. Here are 2014's important dates.

January 1, 2014 – Coverage begins for customers who signed up by December 23

January 10, 2014 – Deadline to make first month’s premium payment for January 1, 2014 coverage

January 15, 2014 – Deadline to complete the sign-up process for February 1, 2014 coverage

February 15, 2014 – Deadline to complete the sign-up process for March 1, 2014 coverage

March 31, 2014 – Open enrollment for Connect for Health Colorado ends

For coverage starting in 2014, the open enrollment period is October 1, 2013–March 31, 2014.
For coverage starting in 2015, the open enrollment period is November 15, 2014–January 15, 2015.

If you can't afford a policy even with a subsidy, you may qualify for a hardship exemption from the federal government. If you experienced these circumstances you may qualify:

Credit Connect for Health Colorado
Browsing for health plans on the Colorado health exchange.

  • You were homeless.
  • You were evicted in the past 6 months or were facing eviction or foreclosure.
  • You received a shut-off notice from a utility company.
  • You recently experienced domestic violence.
  • You recently experienced the death of a close family member.
  • You experienced a fire,flood or other natural or human-caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property.
  • You filed for bankruptcy in the last 6 months.
  • You had medical expenses you couldn’t pay in the last 24 months.
  • You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled, or aging family member.
  • Your individual market coverage was canceled for the 2014 coverage year and you “consider the other plans available unaffordable.”

There are other exemptions you may qualify for.

According to NPR's Questions on the Affordable Care Act, "the penalty for not having health insurance for 2014 is up to $95 per adult and $47.50 per child or 1 percent of your taxable income — whichever is greater. It is supposed to go up substantially in a couple of years. The amount you owe will be prorated to reflect the number of months you were without coverage."

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