ALBANY, N.Y. (January 20, 2015)-- NY State of Health, New York’s official health plan marketplace, today announced that between January 20 and January 31, Form 1095-A Health Insurance Marketplace Statements will be issued to consumers who enrolled in a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) through the marketplace in 2014.
A requirement of the Affordable Care Act, Form 1095-A is a new federal tax form that must be issued by state marketplaces for consumers to use when filing their federal tax return. Over 300,000 forms will be mailed by January 31 to households that had one or more family members enrolled in a QHP through the marketplace at any point during 2014.
“The 1095-A process is new this year and we want consumers to know that NY State of Health is here to help them understand these new forms. As with any new process, we expect that consumers will have questions and, in some cases, adjustments will need to be made in the data reported,” said NY State of Health Executive Director Donna Frescatore. “Over the past several months, NY State of Health has worked closely with its customer service center, certified in-person assistors and with New York’s Consumer Assistance Program - Community Health Advocates - in preparation for helping consumers with this new process.”
Each form will be accompanied by a cover letter, in both English and Spanish, which explains the purpose and content of the form. NY State of Health accountholders will also receive forms in their secure mailbox.
Nearly 75 percent of consumers who enrolled in a QHP through the marketplace in 2014 were eligible for Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) to reduce the monthly cost of coverage. APTCs were based on projected 2014 income at the time of application and, under federal rules, consumers must now reconcile the amount of tax credit they are eligible to receive based on actual 2014 income when they file their federal tax return. Form 1095-A provides the information needed to complete this task.
Form 1095-A will also be sent to households that did not apply for tax credits, were not eligible for tax credits at the time of application, or were eligible and choose not to apply them. This provides these households with a final opportunity to claim a premium tax credit. Form 1095-As are not required and will not be sent to consumers who enrolled in Medicaid, Child Health Plus, a catastrophic plan or a stand-alone dental plan offered through the marketplace.
To help consumers, NY State of Health has done the following:
- Set-up a webpage on the NY State of Health website dedicated to information about Form 1095-A, including copies of the cover letters, sample forms in 8 languages, FAQs and toll-free telephone numbers for consumers. This information is available at http://info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/TaxCredits.
- Established a specially trained group of 150 NY State of Health customer service representatives to respond to questions specific to 1095-A Forms. A toll-free telephone number will be included in the cover letter.
- Through the support of federal grants, Community Health Advocates has added trained staff to assist consumers with questions about Form 1095-A and general questions about the APTC’s. Consumer Health Advocates will also prepare educational materials which will be made available online.
- Worked with tax preparation services throughout the state to prepare to help consumers with the reconciliation process.
- Provided additional Form 1095-A training for certified in-person assistors and tax preparation services throughout New York State
“As we assist consumers with their 2014 tax credits, we also want to remind New Yorkers that the February 15, 2015 deadline to enroll in coverage for 2015 is fast approaching,” Frescatore continued. “We encourage those who have not yet shopped for or enrolled in coverage to visit the NY State of Health website, call our customer service center, schedule an appointment with an in-person assistor, or attend one of our community events near them including our Sign Up NY mall tour taking place across the state through February 15, 2015.”
Events can be found at http://info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov/events.
About the NY State of Health Marketplace
New York opened its Health Plan marketplace, NY State of Health, on October 2013. The Marketplace’s one stop health insurance shopping experience offers high quality comprehensive plans for consumers to choose from. NY State of Health is the only place where consumers can qualify to get help paying for coverage through premium discounts or tax credits. The NY State of Health Small Business Marketplace for employers with 50 or fewer employees is open to enrollment throughout the year. New Yorkers can also enroll in public health insurance programs through the Marketplace all year. For more information about the New York State of Health exchange, please visit https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/ or call Customer Service at 1-855-355-5777.
###
Contact: New York State Department of Health
518 474 7354, ext. 1