News

Health insurance help is here

  • 12/30/2014
  • Laura Eastes
  • The Daily Ardmoreite

A majority of people who visit Wendi Whipkey’s office — located inside Good Shepherd Community Clinic — leave giving her a hug.


“People are generally really touched that someone actually cares about their health and their needs,” says Whipkey, who has signed up about 50 people for Obamacare insurance plans this year. “A lot of them are just looking for someone to listen to what they’ve dealt with — how they need care and they can’t find it.


“It is rewarding when you actually find insurance for people who have been turned away everywhere else.”

When the open enrollment period for 2015 started on Nov. 15, Whipkey officially began to help southern Oklahomans get signed up on the Health Insurance Marketplace. She has welcomed countless people into her office, helping them complete the application, reviewing options, answering questions and pointing them in the direction of coverage that best fits their health needs.


People who visit Whipkey range from those who had previously been turned away from health insurance companies because of  pre-existing conditions and those who had never been offered insurance as an employment benefit. Some have job-based coverage, but still want to explore Marketplace coverage.


No matter the reason, Whipkey is there to aid, thanks to a grant from a local foundation awarded to Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc. Fifteen employees of Legal Aid are trained and certified navigators, working in Oklahoma communities to help people enroll for 2015 Affordable Care Act plans through the open-enrollment period.


Whipkey, who is an attorney at the Ardmore Legal Aid office, will continue to meet with people through Feb. 15, when open enrollment ends for 2015. She meets with people at Good Shepherd Community Clinic and the Ardmore Legal Aid office.


Since enrollment began, Whipkey says she has helped about 50 people sign up for insurance plans. Additionally, more than 40 people attended the Affordable Healthcare Act Assistance program that Legal Aid and MAMA Knows, Inc., sponsored earlier this month at the Ardmore Public Library. At the enrollment event, a handful of navigators met with individuals, answering questions and helping them get health insurance.


The two organizations will host their second program next week at the Healdton Community Library. That enrollment event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 8.


Those who visit Whipkey or attend an enrollment event are encouraged to bring identity and income information. For those offered health insurance through an employer, that information is also needed for the application.


But Whipkey advises people to not rush through enrollment and be prepared to really “shop” the marketplace. Once the initial application is accepted, numerous insurance plans may be offered.  And that’s where navigators come in to help, researching if the plan meets the needs of the person applying. Are the physicians they want to see a part of the plan? What can they expect to pay for co-pay for a doctor’s visit?

“I would make sure you write down any questions you have,” Whipkey advises to anyone coming in for an appointment or attending the Healdton event. “Know what current medications you are on and what your biggest health needs are. That’s the best way to choose a plan that best fits you.”


Another big part of Whipkey’s job is answering questions. The most common question she hears concerns the penalty fee people face who don’t have insurance in 2014.


The law states that for 2014, the fee is 1 percent of the person’s income of the year or $95 per person in the household, whichever is higher. The payment for uninsured children under 18 is $47.50 per child. Regardless of the number of people in your household, the most a family would have to pay in 2014 is $285. Payment will be due when 2014 taxes are filed.


That fee will increase every year. For those without health insurance in 2015, it will be 2 percent of income or $325 per person in the household, whichever is higher.


To ask questions about enrollment or make an appointment to meet with Whipkey, call (580)768-9148.

Topics:
  • Insurance and Health Plans