{"id":18595,"date":"2016-10-27T16:00:42","date_gmt":"2016-10-27T23:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/?p=18595"},"modified":"2016-10-27T16:00:42","modified_gmt":"2016-10-27T23:00:42","slug":"three-reasons-you-should-sign-up-for-obamacare-in-austin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/health-insurance-blog\/three-reasons-you-should-sign-up-for-obamacare-in-austin\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Reasons You Should Sign up for Obamacare in Austin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Early this year, KXAN reported a spike in flu cases at Austin<\/a> hospitals. According to the CDC, 85 children died across the country during the 2015-2016 flu season. The CDC doesn\u2019t track how many adults die from influenza each year. To prevent yourself and members of your family from falling ill, being hospitalized, and missing work and school, be sure to get a flu shot. The CDC<\/a> recommendations for 2016 include getting vaccinated before the end of October. If you\u2019re wondering whether the Affordable Care Act will cover the injection, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) says your health insurance company is required to cover flu shots without charging a copayment, but you may need to visit a specific facility.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cSome insurance plans only cover vaccines given by your doctor or at a limited set of locations,\u201d says the HHS.<\/p>\n

\nHere are three more reasons for Austin, Texas, residents to sign up for Obamacare during the 2017 Open Enrollment period or pursue cheaper alternatives.<\/p>\n

\nAccidents Happen<\/strong>
\nAs healthcare.gov says, \u201cNo one plans to get sick or hurt, but most people need medical care at some point.\u201d If you get into an accident while driving to or from work in downtown Austin, and you don\u2019t have health insurance, you could wind up having to pay a few thousand dollars for an emergency room visit or tens of thousands of dollars for long-term care.<\/p>\n

\nHeath care plans vary, but all of them at least partially cover the following:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\u2022\tEmergency room visits
\n\u2022\tOutpatient care
\n\u2022\tInpatient care
\n\u2022\tLab tests
\n\u2022\tPrescription drugs
\n\u2022\tRehabilitation services, such as physical therapy and psychiatrist appointments
\n\u2022\tDental and vision care
\n\u2022\tPre- and postnatal care
\n\u2022\tSubstance abuse rehab
\n\u2022\tPreventive services, such as screenings and vaccinations<\/p>\n

\nIn case you\u2019re still on the fence about whether you want to part with a monthly payment, obamacarefacts.com states \u201c[m]ore than half of consumers who \u2026 signed up for 2015 Marketplace coverage selected a plan with a monthly premium of $100 or less after tax credits.\u201d That $100 per month is a lot less than you\u2019ll spend if you\u2019re hospitalized after a car accident and, unfortunately, odds aren\u2019t in your favor. According to the Texas Department of Transportation<\/a>, someone was injured in an accident every two minutes and eight seconds in 2015.<\/p>\n

\nAdditionally, 550 pedestrians and 51 cyclists were killed in 2015, so don\u2019t think that avoiding driving makes you safe.<\/p>\n

\nSome Colleges Require Health Insurance<\/strong>
\nNot only does the federal government charge a penalty for not having health insurance, some universities require students to have their own plan or remain enrolled on their parents\u2019 policy. If you\u2019ll be attending the University of Texas at Austin, St. Edward\u2019s University, or any of the other colleges in the area, contact the admissions department to see how the Affordable Care Act affects you.<\/p>\n

\nIt\u2019s the Law<\/strong>
\nThe Affordable Care Act requires everyone to have health insurance. If you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll have to pay a penalty come tax time.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cFor tax year 2016, the penalty will rise to 2.5% of your total household adjusted gross income, or $695.00 per adult and $347.50 per child, to a maximum of $2,085.00,\u201d according to NerdWallet.<\/p>\n

\nShould You Sign up for Obamacare During the 2017 Open Enrollment Period?<\/strong>
\nHealth insurance is a wise investment. But if you don\u2019t feel like you can afford any of the plans on the Health Care marketplace, contact Freeway Insurance. Our friendly, knowledgeable representatives will help you find a plan that fits your budget. You may even qualify for free insurance. Contact us for a free health insurance quote<\/a> today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Early this year, KXAN reported a spike in flu cases at Austin hospitals. According to the CDC, 85 children died across the country during the 2015-2016 flu season. The CDC doesn\u2019t track how many adults die from influenza each year. To prevent yourself and members of your family from falling ill, being hospitalized, and missing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[306],"tags":[],"importance":[],"type-content":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18595"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18595"},{"taxonomy":"importance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/importance?post=18595"},{"taxonomy":"type-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-content?post=18595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}