The time to enroll or renew your coverage on the NY State of Health (NYSOH) Marketplace is just a few days away! Nearly 2.6 million people have enrolled in the Marketplace since its launch in 2013. We can continue to make progress by making sure more New Yorkers get enrolled and those who are covered maintain their coverage.

How it works and what you can do:

• Visit the Marketplace and look at available options – even if you are satisfied with your current coverage. The Marketplace continues to change, and this year you may find a plan that better suits your needs.
• See if you qualify for the new Essential plan for low- and moderate- income New Yorkers. You could get comprehensive coverage for yourself and your family for $0 or $20 per person per month!
• There are options to make the process of enrollment or renewal easier. You may go online and search through the Marketplace, call the Community Health Advocates helpline at 1-888-614-5400, or visit an in-person assistor in your community.

A few important dates for new enrollees:

• The Third Open Enrollment Period begins on November 1, 2015, and continues through January 31, 2016.
• To get coverage that begins January 1, 2015 you must enroll by December 15, 2015.
• For coverage starting February 1, 2016 you must enroll between December 16, 2015 and January 15, 2016.
• For coverage starting March 1, 2016 you must enroll between January 16, 2016 and January 31, 2016.

For returning consumers, the re-certification period begins on November 15, 2015:

• To make sure you do not have a gap in coverage, you must renew your coverage between November 15, 2015 and December 15, 2015 for coverage that begins on January 1, 2016.

If you miss the re-certification deadline, your coverage stop after December 31, 2015 and you will not be insured for a certain time period:

• For coverage that begins on February 1, 2016 you must renew your coverage between December 16, 2015 and January 15, 2015 (coverage gap is 1 month).
• If you renew your coverage between January 15, 2016 and January 31, 2016, your coverage will begin on March 1, 2016 (coverage gap is 2 months).

Make sure to get coverage to stay healthy and avoid the increasing tax penalty. Remember, the penalty for not being covered is rising to the greater of $695 per person ($347.50 per child under 18) or 2.5% of your family yearly taxable income in 2016!