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Health insurance marketplaces reopening in Pa., N.J. to help with COVID-19 relief

Pennie, Pennsylvania's state-based insurance marketplace, will open for a special COVID-19 enrollment period Feb. 15 through May 15.

Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow Sarah Bluett (left) and Community Engagement Specialist Joanna Rosenhein (middle) help a client review their health coverage options and sign up for a plan on the 2020 enrollment period's first day of open enrollment at The Friends Center in Phila., Pa. on November 1, 2019.
Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow Sarah Bluett (left) and Community Engagement Specialist Joanna Rosenhein (middle) help a client review their health coverage options and sign up for a plan on the 2020 enrollment period's first day of open enrollment at The Friends Center in Phila., Pa. on November 1, 2019.Read moreELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer

Pennsylvania will reopen its health insurance marketplace, dubbed Pennie, for a special enrollment period Feb. 15 through May 15 to allow people affected by the coronavirus pandemic to select a new plan.

The move is in line with President Joe Biden’s decision to reopen the federal marketplace, healthcare.gov, as part of his COVID-19 relief efforts. New Jersey’s marketplace, Get Covered NJ, will also remain open through May 15.

Federal and state lawmakers sought to reopen the marketplaces to support people who have lost jobs — and their employer-sponsored health plans — during the pandemic. But the enrollment period is open to anyone who wants to sign up for coverage online at pennie.com.

“The economic and public health implications of the pandemic have been and continue to be destabilizing, impacting the lives of so many Pennsylvanians,” Zachary W. Sherman, Pennie’s executive director, said in a statement. “Anyone without health insurance will have more time to sign up through Pennie, giving those eligible access to financial assistance and comprehensive coverage, including for COVID-19 related treatment and services.”

» READ MORE: Pa., N.J. took over their health insurance exchanges from D.C., and that could save you money

Close to 338,000 Pennsylvania residents signed up for coverage during Pennie’s regular enrollment period. Of those, 75,000 were new customers — a 9.7% increase compared with last year.

This was Pennie’s inaugural enrollment season. Previously, Pennsylvania participated in the federal healthcare.gov.

“Becoming a state-based marketplace also allows us the flexibility to provide more time for individuals to receive coverage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope any Pennsylvanian without health insurance will seek coverage to protect themselves and their families from the cost of COVID-19,” said Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman in a statement.

» READ MORE: Unemployed and uninsured because of coronavirus? You may be eligible for Medicaid.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city’s push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.