Now that it’s time for Open Enrollment, you might be tempted to put off choosing your 2025 health insurance plan until it gets closer to the deadline. After all, you have until Wednesday, Dec. 18, to sign up for a plan to get coverage by Wednesday, Jan. 1.
If you wait, don’t worry. You still have until Wednesday, Jan. 18, for coverage that begins Wednesday, Feb. 1.
While putting this decision off seems tempting, you might want to decide sooner than later. Before you know it, you’ll be busy getting ready for the holidays and may have to rush one of the most important decisions you make all year. By the way, if you think you don’t need insurance because you’re healthy, we encourage you to think again.
You don’t need to go it alone
Community Health Options is here to help you choose a plan that fits your budget and needs, while giving you access to the broadest provider network in Maine so you can find care in your own back yard.
To start, we’ve put together some tools to help you:
Finally, if you want help, we’re happy to give it. You can talk with our Maine-based team members, who know about the providers and services in your area, along with how to figure out whether you might qualify for state tax credits or cost-sharing reductions. If you have questions or need help finding a plan, simply call (855) 624-6463 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., or send an email and we’ll get back to you.
Many of us are waiting weeks or months to book medical appointments. Or taking a long drive to get to the only provider taking new patients—often more than an hour away. And once in the office, chances are we’re spending more time in waiting rooms just for a routine appointment.
The national shortage of healthcare workers has been well-documented, and Maine is feeling it, too, with access to providers emerging as one of the greatest barriers to treatment. By the end of 2022, Maine had just 580 doctors practicing family medicine, an 18% decline from 2019, according to The Portland Press Herald, leaving fewer doctors for a growing population.
During the pandemic, patients discovered the convenience of telehealth and began meeting with their providers through a phone call or video chat from the comfort of their own homes. The concept certainly wasn’t new—Community Health Options Members had access to Amwell® behavioral telehealth well before Covid-19 struck.
That concept has expanded to virtual primary care, giving people the option through an online care team, expanding access to care. Alongside its traditional provider network, Community Health Options now offers Members 18 and older the option to choose a virtual-first primary care team through Firefly Health.
When it comes to health outcomes, many studies have shown patients miss fewer virtual appointments, helping them to stay on track with their health needs. And in a recent pilot program, Walmart employees with diabetes who used virtual care saw a 24% average reduction in glucose levels and patients with hypertension had a 14% reduction in blood pressure, the company said in 2023 when it expanded its program to Maine, among other states.
