Gov. Tom Wolf this week announced that Pennsylvania’s state-based health insurance marketplace, Pennie, has added a new qualifying life event to allow low-income Pennsylvanians the ability to enroll in health insurance throughout the year. This new qualifying life event will allow Pennsylvanians with an annual household income equal to or below 150% of the federal poverty level to shop and enroll in health insurance through Pennie. Financial assistance, which nearly 90% of the almost 375,000 Pennie customers receive, is also available. Pennsylvanians enrolling during 2022 can also benefit from the increased subsidies provided by the American Rescue Plan, which has changed the affordability of health coverage across the nation.
To receive this new qualifying life event through Pennie, new customers will need to visit pennie.com, click “Get Covered” and apply. If the customer meets the income qualifications, a Special Enrollment Period will automatically open. Once the Special Enrollment Period opens, the customer will have 60-days to shop and enroll in a healthcare plan through Pennie. Currently, this opportunity is only available for those currently not receiving health coverage through Pennie. Beginning June 2022, existing Pennie customers whose income is lower than or equal to the 150% federal poverty level can update their application and change their current plan using this qualifying life event.
