But that’s only available until August 15th.
Baltimore, Md (KM) In addition to assisting residents who have suffered economically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Rescue Plan Act provides help for uninsured Marylanders applying for health care through the Maryland Health Connection. Vinnie DeMarco, the President of the Maryland Citizens Health Initiative, says that means lower premiums for applicants, or they could get their health care free of charge.
“Under the Affordable Care Act, there are tax credits below a certain income which allow them to afford health insurance through carriers who are on the Affordable Care Act coverage,” says DeMarco.
The American Rescue Plan was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President earlier this year.
But he says the American Rescue Plan Act has further enhanced those benefits. “What happened under President Biden and Vice President Harris is that the amount of money in those tax credits went up substantially so people who couldn’t afford it before can now afford it,” says DeMarco.
So if you’re uninsured, DeMarco says you can apply by going on line to MarylandHealthConnection.gov. The deadline is August 15th, 2021.
He says it’s important for everyone to have health care coverage. “25% of the people who died because of COVID may not have died if they had health insurance,” says DeMarco. “And that is really something we need to avoid. Especially with difficult health times with COVID, we need to all be healthy and covered and insured.”
By Kevin McManus