TAKE CARE: Advocacy Blog Series Bringing It All Together
Throughout this series, we’ve shined a spotlight on some of the hot button issues in health policy that can have an impact on your health care. The blog series was meant to help you take care when it comes to important arthritis care and coverage issues. With open enrollment for Medicare and the health care exchanges closing soon, we wanted to close out the year’s blog series reminding you of those important deadlines for health care. You can check out the year’s Take Care blog posts here .
Open Enrollment
There’s still time to sign up for a health plan on the individual market or select a Medicare plan. As a reminder, here are the deadlines:
- Medicare : Open enrollment will run from October 15 to December 7.
- Individual marketplace : The open enrollment period runs from November 1 to December 15 for plans that start on January 1, 2019. For states that manage their own insurance marketplace, check your state Department of Health’s website.
- Employer-sponsored Insurance : Deadlines are rolling. Check with your employer’s Human Resources Department.
We have several resources available to help you understand your arthritis coverage needs and health care costs. Check them out!
- Our premier resource is the Your Coverage, Your Care toolkit , which we recently updated. You can browse commonly used health care terms, understand different health insurance options, get educated about the claims and appeals process, and learn tips to overcome health care barriers.
- If you have any questions about your health care, we have licensed clinical social workers on staff who can talk with you 24 hours a day for your convenience. You can reach the Arthritis Foundation Helpline toll-free at 844-571-HELP (4357), or visit the Helpline website .
- Watch our September Advocate webinar – Unlocking the Secrets of Your Health Plan
- Watch our October Advocate webinar – Rock and Enroll
- Read our prior blog posts on open enrollment here and here .
If you’d like to stay informed of federal and state-based health care issues, consider signing up to be an Advocate . Becoming a part of our Advocacy network is an easy way to get involved and stay informed.