Put this at the top of your December “to do” list: get health coverage and the peace of mind that comes with it. Don’t miss a day of being covered.

Important: You have until December 15, 2015 to sign up so your coverage can start January 1, 2016. That’s less than 2 weeks away.

Plans may cost less than you think — 8 out of 10 people who enroll in health coverage through HealthCare.gov qualify for financial help to lower the cost of their monthly premiums. In fact, most people can find plans with premiums for less than $75 a month after tax credits.

Remember: If you don’t have health coverage or an exemption for 2016, you’ll probably have to pay a fee on your taxes. And for 2016, that penalty is higher than ever.

Get started today

• New to the Marketplace? Preview 2016 health insurance plans and prices now by answering a few questions on your income and household. Or get started now by creating an account.
• Have a 2015 Marketplace plan? New and more affordable health plans may be available this year. Log in to compare 2016 health plans and prices to your current coverage, update your application with any household or income changes, and enroll in a plan.

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To find the Marketplace health insurance plan that works best for your family, you should consider many different factors like the premium, the yearly deductible, what services are covered, and other details. While premiums can often be a deciding factor, other considerations could be just as important.

Breaking it down: the deductible

A deductible, is the amount you owe for the health care services your plan covers before your health insurance plan begins to pay.

Here are 5 things to know about deductibles in Marketplace plans:

1. All Marketplace plans cover recommended preventive services without a deductible. Services like cancer screening, immunizations, and well-child visits will always be covered without having to pay your deductible, any copayment, or other costs to you.
2. Many other health services are often covered without a deductible. Many health insurance plans provide some benefits before you meet the deductible. In those plans, you may be able to visit your primary care doctor or fill a prescription for a generic drug and only pay a copayment. Even specialist visits, mental health outpatient services, and brand name drugs are often covered with no deductible, although you’ll still be responsible for copayment or coinsurance.
3. Look to see what your plan covers without a deductible. Plans differ in what they cover. When you find a plan you like online, look at the “costs for medical care” to see which services have a deductible and which don’t. You can also click on a plan’s "Summary of Benefits and Coverage" to see a detailed explanation of how the plan deductible applies to different services, and see examples for certain kinds of care.
4. Consider services covered without a deductible along with other out-of-pocket costs when choosing the plan that’s right for you. It’s important to understand what your insurance company covers without requiring you to pay your deductible. Then you can decide whether you want a plan with lower monthly premiums and a higher deductible, or one with a higher monthly premium and a lower deductible. When you preview 2016 insurance plans, you’ll see an estimate of your total out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and copayments, to help you make this decision.
5. Silver plans can save you more. If you qualify for cost sharing reductions — as most consumers who sign up for Marketplace policies do — you can save more. A family of 4 with income below $60,625 can qualify for additional savings with lower copayments, a lower deductible, and more services covered with no deductible at all. This financial assistance is only available if you purchase a Silver plan; so while a Silver plan may have monthly premiums that are higher than some other plan options, be sure to consider your total costs. If you qualify, your maximum annual out-of-pocket costs could be lowered by thousands of dollars, and your deductible could be lowered as well. Check to see if you qualify for these savings.

Ready to apply?

• Start an application or log in to an existing application.
• Get a preview of 2016 health insurance plans and see if you qualify for lower costs before you apply.
• Learn more about how to account for your total costs of care when you pick a plan.

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When you apply for health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, you’ll find out if you qualify for savings. You may be eligible for a "premium tax credit" to lower the cost of your monthly premium. You also may be eligible for "cost-sharing reductions" — discounts that lower what you’ll pay out of your own pocket for medical care.

Important: You can use a premium tax credit for a Marketplace health plan in any "category". However, if you qualify for cost-sharing reductions, you’ll only get these extra savings if you enroll in a Marketplace health plan in the Silver category.

Why choose Silver?

If you qualify for cost-sharing reductions, a Silver plan may be the best overall value. Even if your monthly premium is higher than some other plan options, additional benefits could save you more down the road, like:

• You’ll have a lower deductible with a Silver plan. This means the insurance company starts paying its share sooner. As an example, a Silver plan may start paying after you spend $300 on medical services yourself, compared to $750 if you enrolled in a plan in a different category.
• You’ll have lower copayments or coinsurance — like $15 per doctor’s visit instead of $30 you might pay with another plan type.
• Your total costs out of pocket might be lower too, if you need a lot of care in a year.

So with a Silver plan, your "total cost of care" — when you add up your premium, your deductible, and other out-of-pocket costs — may be significantly lower. This means you’ll save a lot of money overall.

Learn more about how to save on out-of-pocket costs with a Silver plan.

Ready to apply?

• Start an application or log in to an existing application.
• Get a preview of 2016 health insurance plans and see if you qualify for lower costs before you apply.
• Remember: If you want your coverage to start on January 1, you must enroll by December 15.

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The Health Insurance Marketplace is open for business. You may be surprised to find out how affordable health insurance can be.

• Last year, 8 in 10 Marketplace consumers received an average tax credit of $270 per month.
• This year, more than 7 in 10 current Marketplace enrollees could find plans for $75 or less per month after tax credits.
• 86% of current Marketplace enrollees could save money — an average of $50 per month and $610 annually before tax credits for the same level of health insurance coverage — if they return to the Marketplace to shop.

See how much you could save now

Get a preview of 2016 health insurance plans, with prices based on your income. You don’t have to create an account or even provide your name.

Ready to apply?

Start an application or log in to an existing application.

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Starting today, you can apply for a 2016 health plan, renew your current plan, or pick a new plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

• New to the Marketplace? You can preview 2016 health insurance plans and prices before you apply. You’ll see premiums based on your estimated income. Remember, most people qualify for financial help with their premium costs.
• Have a 2015 Marketplace plan? You can compare 2016 health plans and prices to your current coverage, update your application with any household or income changes, and enroll in a plan. New and more affordable health plans may be available this year, so don’t miss out on savings for 2016.

Get started

• Create an account to apply for the first time
• Log in to update your existing insurance for 2016

IMPORTANT If you want your new or updated health insurance coverage to start January 1, you must enroll or change plans by December 15. This way you won’t have a break in coverage. You can change your plan any time during Open Enrollment, which ends January 31, 2016.

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Flu season is here, and getting a flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and your family from this potentially serious disease. If you’re covered by a health plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace, you and your family can get free flu shots from a doctor or other provider in your plan’s network.

Flu shots aren’t the only preventive health service covered by Marketplace plans. All health plans sold through the Marketplace cover a set of preventive health care services at no cost to you when delivered by a network provider – including some screenings, check-ups, patient counseling, and wellness services.

So be sure to take advantage of the free preventive services offered by the Marketplace. Not covered yet? You can enroll in a 2016 plan starting November 1.

Learn more about the flu and preventive care services from the CDC.

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Your privacy is serious business. That’s why we always make sure we have important safeguards in place to protect the information you provide when you visit HealthCare.gov.

We’ve now introduced a tool that lets you easily control some of the information we may collect from you.

Simple “on” and “off” settings

As visitors use HealthCare.gov, we use common web tools to collect information – what websites they arrive from, what HealthCare.gov pages they visit, how much time they spend, where they exit the site, and similar actions. We analyze data from all users, not individuals. We use it only to help us improve the site and our outreach to the public. We never sell it or share it with unauthorized parties.

But if you like, you can opt out of allowing us to collect this information during your visits. Our new Privacy Manager lets you easily adjust settings to meet your comfort level.

All you have to do is select “on” or “off” for tracking certain types of information about your site visits. If you choose to opt-out, you’ll still have access to everything on HealthCare.gov, but we won’t use your visit to improve the site or use digital advertising to remind you about helpful information like deadlines.

• More about the Privacy Manager
• Read our privacy policy

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