If you have health insurance through your employer, you can usually add your dependent family members to your policy. While your employer may contribute something toward the cost of your health insurance, that benefit doesn’t extend to anyone else on your policy. Depending on the policy you have, the cost of the premiums to ensure your family may be unaffordable. However the fact that you have access to an employer-sponsored plan means your family members are ineligible for alternatives like policies found on the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov. That’s called the “family glitch,” and it’s all about to change!

Effective Dec. 12, 2022, the federal government will allow families to enroll for policies on the HealthCare.gov Marketplace even if a member of that family has coverage through their employer. Nine out of ten North Carolinians who are enrolled can get help with premiums and deductibles.

How does it work?

If you do not have any offer of employer insurance that is affordable and adequate, you may be eligible for premium tax credits to purchase coverage through the Marketplace at HealthCare.gov. A tax credit can lower your monthly insurance payment (called your “premium”), based on the income and household information you put on your application.

Not sure if this can help you?

No worries! That’s why we’re here. If you schedule a free appointment with our health insurance navigators, they can ask you some simple questions to determine what kind of coverage will work best for you. Open Enrollment ends Jan. 15, 2023.