Common Questions
What should I do if I have an ACA plan, but our household income decreases?
If you or someone in your household recently lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic or any other reason that you expect will reduce your 2020 earnings, you should contact the Marketplace to determine if you qualify for additional financial assistance. When you signed up for your health insurance on the Marketplace you used estimated projections of your income for this year. Those projections help determine financial assistance that may be available to help pay premiums. By updating your current income, your financial assistance will be updated accordingly.
There are a couple of ways to update your income. You can:
1. Update your information by phone.
Contact the Marketplace Call Center by calling 1-800-318-2596. Someone is available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except holidays)
2. Update your information online. For screen-by-screen directions click here.
If your income has declined and you have reported it through the Marketplace, you may have become eligible for Medical Assistance. If you have become eligible for Medical Assistance, you may be directed to Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance program through Healthcare.gov. You may also use the commonwealth’s COMPASS tool, described below, to determine whether you are eligible for the Medical Assistance program.
Need help?
You can find help by visiting www.insurance.pa.gov/4healthins. There you can find a navigator or local agent by clicking below the blue map of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) is the Commonwealth’s recipient of a grant to be a navigator for health insurance. Exchange assisters are available throughout Pennsylvania, at no cost, to assist you in navigating and enrolling in the Health Insurance Marketplace, Medical Assistance (MA), Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
You may also use the commonwealth’s COMPASS tool, available at www.compass.state.pa.us, if you believe you may now be eligible for Medical Assistance. COMPASS is an online tool for Pennsylvanians to apply for many health and human service programs like Medical Assistance and CHIP.
*When you return to work, you will want to contact the Marketplace again to provide an update to your income.