Medicare and Health Insurance open enrollment deadline approaching

KEARNEY, Neb. — If you are still in need of healthcare coverage for the 2020 year, you will want to make a decision soon as open enrollment is almost over.

Nebraska has gained another plan provider after only having Medica for the 2019 year.

Medica is still relatively new to Nebraska as it debuted back in 2016, but there's a new provider called Bright Health that will begin offering coverage plans in 2020. Now, the most important thing about these two coverage plans is how they might affect your wallet.

Taking a look at Healthcare.gov, once you are all registered and can get signed in, you can start looking at healthcare plans that apply to you the most.

The first thing to note is the monthly premium since that will have one of the biggest effects on you.

They begin with the least expensive premium option at the top and as you scroll down, the premium goes up, but the deductible will go down.

Costs and plans will change for each individual as you add in information on Medical Providers and Prescription Drugs.

Medica and Bright Health offer individual and family health plans as well as Medicare coverage plans.

You can compare two plans to see the small differences between the plan providers, like what benefits may be offered.

"The benefits are similar to what you are used to with a medicare supplement policy but you'll get extra benefits that original medicare doesn't offer," said Anchor Insurance Owner Chris Batliner.

When comparing both providers, the out-of-pocket maximum amount is $8,150.

If you are someone who makes frequent emergency room visits, you should take note of the charge required by you after your deductible is met.

Anchor Insurance Owner Chris Batliner said Medica is available to enroll at anytime as well as Bright Health..

The plans provided by Healthcare.gov are typically more expensive than those offered by an employer, but those who don't have that employer option can now have more coverage choices.

"More options is always better. Find a plan that tailors towards what your needs are. That's kind of the idea behind having more options, so you have more choices to fit what your medical needs are," said Batliner.

The open enrollment period for both Medicare and health insurance is coming to an end here shortly.

Open enrollment for Medicare ends on Dec. 7 and individual health insurance open enrollment ends on Dec. 15.