Updated 9/1/15
We recently let you know that if you would like to compare coverage options and enroll in a children’s health insurance plan available through the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM), instead of staying with Florida Healthy Kids, you could apply during a special enrollment period.
The FFM special enrollment period is now open. If you would like to apply for coverage through the FFM, you will have from September 1, 2015 through November 30, 2015.
Important information to keep in mind while applying through the FFM:
| FFM Plan Selection Date | FFM Coverage Effective Date |
| September 1 - September 30 | October 1 |
| October 1 – October 31 | November 1 |
| November 1 – November 30 | December 1 |
If you apply for coverage online:
Not ready to enroll? You may want to “shop” and compare plan prices and plan benefits by visiting https://www.healthcare.gov/see-plans/.
In July, we updated our website with an announcement about upcoming changes to Florida Healthy Kids’ health plans that caused our full pay program’s prices to increase. In August, you were mailed and emailed several letters to identify exactly what changes your household would be undergoing.
Although Healthy Kids believes it can provide Florida’s children with the best possible care in the state, our top priority during this transition is to ensure that children remain covered with some form of health insurance.
In an effort to provide you with alternatives to the Florida Healthy Kids full pay program, we recommended that full pay families also check out private insurance, employer coverage or the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM).
Just a reminder that payments are due on the first of the month for the next month’s coverage (i.e. pay on September 1st for October 1st coverage).
The importance of paying timely for October 1st coverage is to ensure that the new health plan gets your child’s information so that you will receive your plan information and ID cards. This will help make sure that your family does not experience any gaps in coverage or services that your child may need.
If payments aren’t received from currently enrolled full pay families early in September, then they will begin receiving late letters, emails, and automated calls on/around the 7th of the month.
If payments still aren’t received around the 20th, families will receive an additional cancelation letter, emails and phone calls.
However, it is important to note that a family can still be covered for the next month’s coverage if they pay by the last day of the month (i.e. you can pay for October’s coverage on September 30, 2015).
Families who do choose to make late payments (any day after the 7th of each month) need to be aware that it could take longer than usual to confirm coverage and obtain services on the first few days of the next month.
Information on the Full Pay Programs:
Other options for families to explore:
We recently learned that those families exploring coverage in the FFM were told that the federal government was denying access to federal exchange plans.
We immediately began working on behalf of the full pay Healthy Kids families with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to resolve this unacceptable situation. Under current federal regulations, full pay families of Healthy Kids have the right to enroll during a special enrollment period.
On August 25, 2015, the federal government agreed that full pay families of Healthy Kids will qualify for access to federal exchange plans right after your plan expires. On August 26, 2015 we mailed our full pay families this Special Enrollment Letter.
What this agreement means is that if you do choose to enroll in one of the plans available through the FFM instead of continuing with Healthy Kids, you will be permitted to enroll and will have no gap in coverage.
Please continue to check our website and Facebook page for the most current information available to us or call 1-888-540-KIDS (5437).
