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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Starting November 1, you can enroll, re-enroll, or change plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace for 2016.

FYI 2016 plans and prices will be available to preview by the third week in October.

Take a few minutes to get ready now so you’ll be off to a great start when you log in as soon as November 1.

First time applying through the Health Insurance Marketplace?

• Get a quick overview with these 5 Health Insurance tips.
• Use our checklist (PDF) to gather everything you’ll need to apply.
• Learn about key dates and deadlines to make sure you’re covered January 1.

Have a 2015 Marketplace health plan?

• Learn the 5 steps to staying covered (PDF).
• Note: It’s really important to log in to HealthCare.gov as soon as November 1 and update your application with any income and household changes you expect for 2016. New health coverage plans and prices that work better for you may be available this year. Also, updating your information is the only way to make sure you get the right amount of premium tax credit. So be sure to update – even if you expect to keep the same plan.
• Learn more about why it’s important to update your income and household information and compare plans.

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If you’ve had any changes to your household income, it’s important to let the Marketplace know as soon as possible. Your new income can affect the health coverage or savings you’re eligible for.

If your taxable income goes down: You could qualify for more savings than you’re getting now. This could lower the amount you pay in monthly premiums. You could also qualify to save on out-of-pocket costs, like deductibles and copayments. Or you might qualify for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid or CHIP coverage instead of a Marketplace insurance plan.

If your taxable income goes up: You may qualify for less savings than you’re getting now. If you don’t report the household income changes very soon, you may have to pay money back when you file your 2015 income taxes.

We’ve just improved the way you update your annual household income on your Marketplace application, so it’s easier than ever.

Just follow these steps:

• Log in to your Marketplace account and select your 2015 application
• Select "Report a life change" from the menu on the left
• Select the "Report a life change" button and update your income
• Follow the steps to verify your application information and confirm your plan selection

Important health insurance tip: You have to click all the way through to the last screen in order for your changes to take effect.

Ready to update your income? Log in now.

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With 2016 Open Enrollment starting November 1, it’s a great time to sign up for reminders and updates from the Health Insurance Marketplace about 2016 coverage.

It’s easy — just fill out a quick form to get emails, and follow us on social media. After you’re signed up, we’ll tell you about upcoming changes, deadlines, and new features. Plus, we’ll let you know as soon as 2016 health plans and prices are available to preview.

Here are 3 simple ways to stay connected:

1. Sign up for email and text reminders.
2. Follow us on Twitter.
3. Like us on Facebook.

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Wonder if you qualify for savings on health insurance?

We’ve created a quick and easy tool to help. Just enter your state and the number of people in your household.

We’ll show you which of these savings programs you qualify for, based on your income estimate:

• A premium tax credit you can use to lower your monthly premium for a Marketplace health insurance plan
• A premium tax credit for a Marketplace insurance plan plus savings on out-of-pocket health care costs (like deductibles and copayments)
• Free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

See if you qualify for savings

Note: The income information shown is for 2015 coverage. 2016 amounts will be available November 1.

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