We have updated our tool for in-person consumer assistance staff to use when helping consumers evaluate and select a plan, called the Marketplace Plan Comparison Worksheet [Spanish Version].

After consumers obtain a tax credit determination, their health plan search tends to narrow down to a handful of plans that fall into a target price range (often three to five plans). This worksheet is intended for assisters to use with consumers to note the differences between several plans, compare and contrast them, and identify which plan best meets their needs.

Click here for the worksheet. (Click here for the Spanish version)

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires everyone to have minimum essential coverage (MEC) beginning in 2014, unless a person is exempt.  People who don’t comply have to pay the shared responsibility penalty, the amount of which depends on several factors, including income and family size. The Tax Policy Center calculator lets you estimate the potential ACA penalty for individuals and families who don’t have health insurance coverage.

Click here for the tax penalty calculator.

The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) put together downloadable resources on eligibility rules for immigrants applying for health coverage:

Immigrants and the ACA – An explanation of how immigrants are included in health care reform per provisions in the Affordable Care Act.

Overview of Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs (PDF) – General rules for federal non-emergency Medicaid and CHIP, defining “qualified” vs “not qualified” immigrants and including what “qualified” immigration statuses are subject to the five-year bar (see page two for eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP).

“Lawfully Present” Individuals Eligible under the Affordable Care Act (PDF) – Information on the immigration statuses that are considered “lawfully present” under the ACA.

Typical Documents Used by Lawfully Present Immigrants (PDF) – A guide to different documents needed when applying for coverage on the Marketplace.

Medical Assistance Programs for Immigrants in Various States (PDF) – Describes state policies for providing health coverage to groups of immigrants, under federal options to cover lawfully residing children and pregnant women, regardless of their date of entry into the U.S., or to provide prenatal care to women regardless of status, using CHIP funds. It also describes immigrant coverage under programs using exclusively state funds.

For more information, please see additional resources from NILC.

A webinar was presented for the CMS assister network on February 21, 2014 by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the National Immigration Law Center, and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families to clarify policies pertaining to enrollment and eligibility for families that include immigrants.

Here are resources from the presentation:

• Slide Deck (slides updated March 10, 2014) 
• Summary of Presentation Information

This fact sheet from CMS provides information on how to answer questions about a person’s citizenship and immigration status when filling out the application on HealthCare.gov for Marketplace coverage and provides more information on the document types needed when applying for coverage.

Click here for the full fact sheet.