Sen. Bob Casey,D-Pa

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., touted the new state health care market known as “Pennie.”

Casey reminded Pennsylvanians, during an online news conference Friday, that the deadline to sign up for health care through Pennie, which is Pennsylvania's own health care market, is Dec. 15 to get health care beginning Jan. 1.

He said Pennie is for state residents who have no other health care like Medicaid and are having trouble affording other, more expensive health care plans offered through the Affordable Care Act.

Casey said because it is associated with the ACA, Pennie protects those with existing conditions and limits out-of-pocket costs for consumers.

He said some in Pennsylvania are falling victim to “junk” health care plans offered by insurers outside of the ACA, and are finding they are not covered for preexisting conditions or are experiencing high costs. “You can avoid all that and enroll in comprehensive coverage by going through Pennie,” Casey said.

One of Casey's panelists for the news conference was Jessica Altman, state insurance commissioner.

She said many who are enrolling in Pennie have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and many having lost their health care along with their jobs.

“In 2020, health care is more important than ever before,” Altman said.

She said Pennie has seven insurers, all of which offer comprehensive health care and cover preexisting conditions along with COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccinations.

She said Act 42, which created the Pennie health care marketplace, also served to lower premiums across the state.

Pennie also includes a financial assistance component, Altman said. She said 90% of current Pennie enrollees get help with premiums, deductibles and copays.

Pennie also boasts in-person navigators to help consumers with the process of enrolling, as well as certified agents and brokers across the state.

Regarding the enrollment deadline of Dec. 15, Altman said those with special situations like losing their health insurance, getting married, having a baby and other circumstances will be offered a special enrollment period so they won't have to go without health insurance until the next enrollment period at the end of 2021.

Walter MacFann, a small-business owner in Washington County who served as a panelist for the news conference, said he enrolled in Pennie in November.

“The rates are much more competitive,” MacFann said.

He said one of his priorities was retaining the health care providers he currently uses, and he was able to do that.

“I get the services I need,” MacFann said. “There has not been any holdups in getting approvals.”

Pam Browning, an enrollment assistor at Centerville Clinics, said she has talked to Pennsylvanians whose companies have shut down and they cannot afford COBRA benefits, retirees with no health insurance plan for their spouse or children, widows and widowers who lost their health care along with their spouse, and others.

She was glad to be able to offer them affordable, income-based health care through Pennie.

“I can honestly say that very few people we meet with walk away not choosing a plan,” she said.

Those looking for health care can log onto pennie.com to review plans, costs and services.