Carl and Regina Warren of Tampa are better-informed than a lot of Medicare beneficiaries; they know they don’t have to go shopping on the federal online Marketplace that opens Oct. 1 because they already have health insurance.
The same is true for workers who get coverage through their job; most large employers are continuing to cover their work force to the same extent as in the past, a survey found.
The latest installment of a series on the Affordable Care Act by health reporter Mary Shedden of the Tampa Tribune explains that most people, around 75 percent in Florida, don’t have to worry about shopping for coverage on the new online marketplace.
Their sign-up period also doesn’t necessarily correspond with the one that is being advertised for the Marketplace; for example, open enrollment for Medicare beneficiaries shopping for prescription-drug or HMO-style Medicare Advantage plans is Oct. 15 through Dec. 7.
