Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks today announced that the County leads the state in Maryland Health Connection (MHC) enrollments following two special enrollment periods which ended on Wednesday, July 15.
MHC is the State’s official health insurance marketplace, and the special enrollment periods began in late February for tax filers and in March for COVID-19. Of the 58,000 Marylanders that enrolled in health coverage during that period, nearly 11,000 came from Prince George’s County.
“When this pandemic began, we knew that lack of health insurance could negatively impact the well-being of our residents, so we are proud of our collective efforts to ensure Prince Georgians and Marylanders get covered,” said Alsobrooks. “We will continue our work, in partnership with State and federal partners, to ensure Prince Georgians have the resources they need during this public health emergency.”
In February, the Maryland Health Insurance Easy Enrollment program was launched as the first of its kind in the nation. Tax filers were able to indicate if they had health insurance. The information was shared with the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange (MHBE), the parent of MHC, who contacted tax filers to make them aware of the insurance opportunity.
On March 16, the marketplace also opened a special enrollment period in response to the coronavirus pandemic. With support from Governor Larry Hogan and participating insurance providers, Maryland held one of the longest special enrollment periods in the nation.
“Maryland Health Connection was able to respond quickly to this global crisis and help our Maryland families get the health coverage they need,” says Michele Eberle, Executive Director of the MHBE.
Health insurance in Prince George’s County is provided through Prince George’s County Health Connect (PGC Health Connect), a program of Prince George’s County Department of Social Services (PGCDSS). PGC Health Connect is one of eight Connector Entities in Maryland. The program’s Navigators, many of whom are bilingual, provide guidance to applicants and are able to enroll residents into health insurance by telephone.
Prince George’s County residents who have lost health coverage due to job loss or have experienced other major life changes may still be eligible to enroll in health insurance within 60 days of the loss of coverage. Medicaid enrollment is ongoing throughout the year.
To explore health insurance options to “Get Covered,” call PGC Health Connect, Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 4 pm at (301) 927-4500, (240) 719-2167, or the health hotline at We Are CASA at (301) 270-8432 or (240) 270-1318. Bilingual navigators are available to assist consumers directly over the telephone.
To enroll online, visit MarylandHealthConnection.gov or call (855) 642-8572 from 8 am to 6 pm on weekdays. Residents may also download the free “Enroll MHC” mobile application.
Visit the Prince George’s County website for more information.
