Visit kynect.ky.gov to sign up for coverage, enroll Nov. 1, 2023, through Jan. 16, 2024
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2023) – Today, Gov. Beshear announced that beginning tomorrow Kentuckians can shop and enroll for health and dental coverage on the state-based marketplace, kynect.
Enrollment is open Nov. 1, 2023, through Jan. 16, 2024. Kentuckians who sign up on or before Dec. 15, 2023, will have a coverage start date of Jan. 1, 2024. Those who sign up on Dec. 16 through the last day of enrollment will be eligible for coverage that starts on Feb. 1, 2024.
Kentuckians who don’t have coverage through another source, such as through an employer, Medicaid, the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare or TRICARE, can start shopping tomorrow for individual coverage on kynect. All plans offered on the marketplace cover 10 essential health benefits, including emergency services, hospitalization, lab services and prescription drugs. All plan types also cover certain preventive services at no cost, and no one can be dropped from coverage or have their premiums increased because of health issues.
In 2020, Gov. Beshear relaunched kynect to help ensure more Kentucky families have access to the best information about their health plans and benefits.
“Health care is a basic human right – and every Kentucky family deserves to be able to see a doctor and receive treatment when they are sick,” Gov. Beshear said. “By removing barriers to care, we are helping Kentuckians not only stay healthy and live their best life, but we are also supporting our workforce. We know that when people don’t feel good, it hinders their ability to seek and maintain a job.”
Four carriers will offer health plans: Anthem, CareSource, Passport by Molina Healthcare and WellCare of Kentucky. Passport by Molina Healthcare will expand by 22 counties, and WellCare will expand by 26 counties. Anthem and Best Life will offer dental plans. An expanded number of plans have been certified for 2024 and all counties have at least two carrier choices, with most having three choices and many now having four choices.
Carrie Banahan, deputy secretary for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, encouraged consumers to visit kynect.ky.gov for plan details. “There’s more to plans than the monthly premium,” she said. “Make sure your doctors and other clinicians are in their network. Check out whether your favorite pharmacy is among their preferred.”
Not all plans are the same, Banahan said. In 2024, some plans offered have added features or benefits, including enhanced diabetes coverage, fitness memberships and vision benefits. Telehealth is covered by all plans at differing out-of-pocket costs. Kentuckians still have access to the more generous financial assistance originally made available as part of the American Rescue Plan. More plans are available, and this continued financial assistance keeps costs to families lower.
Open enrollment in a qualified health plan also overlaps with other annual open enrollments, including Medicare. Medicare beneficiaries may make changes through Dec. 7 and enrollment choices take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
For kynect enrollment assistance, visit kynect.ky.gov or call 855-459-6328. You may also get help at your local Department for Community-Based Services office, from a kynector or a licensed health insurance agent.
Since Gov. Beshear took office, he has fought for affordable and accessible health care coverage for every Kentucky family, regardless of where they live or how much money they make.
During his first week in office, Gov. Beshear worked to expand access to critical health care for nearly 100,000 Kentuckians by eliminating governmental roadblocks. And in an effort to improve maternal and child health outcomes, in May 2022 the Governor announced that Medicaid coverage would expand to a full 12-month postpartum period. In October 2022, the Governor also announced a new initiative to help boost workforce participation by improving health coverage in the critical areas of dental, vision and hearing.
The Governor has also supported many pieces of legislation to expand care, including measures that have capped the cost of lifesaving insulin for many Kentuckians; expanded access to mental health care through telehealth; increased mental health support for first responders and students; created a lung cancer screening program and improved the quality of mental health treatment; enhanced stroke care and provided access to the lowest-cost medicine.
The Governor has also taken steps to support Kentucky hospitals, including this year, when he signed legislation to provide $1.8 billion in Medicaid funding for outpatient hospital services.
During Gov. Beshear’s term, the state is also seeing health care services expand across the state. For example, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky and Norton Healthcare are making a historic investment in West Louisville. Soon, life-enhancing programs, including the first hospital built west of Ninth Street in more than 150 years, will open.
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