Here’s a short step-by-step guide to help you inch your way through the health insurance enrollment process in RI.
HealthSource RI
The Cost: Varies depending on various income thresholds. It is capped at 9.5% of income, but is often significantly lower.*
Hours: Mon – Fri, 8am – 6pm
How to enroll:
Step 1: Enrollment is from Nov 1 – Dec 31. Customers looking for coverage starting Jan 1, 2019 should pick and pay for their coverage by Dec 23.
You cannot enroll yourself into insurance after these dates unless you qualify for the Special Enrollment Period, which is triggered by six life-qualifying events: change in income, change in citizenship, birth or adoption, death in the family, moving into Rhode Island and marriage. The special enrollment periods lasts 60 days from the life-qualifying event.
Step 2. Sign up by calling 1-855-840-4774 or enrolling online at healthsourceri.com. Rhode Islanders can also attend an enrollment event in their community (healthsourceri.com/events), or call United Way of RI’s 211 line to find a Navigator in your neighborhood.
Have two forms of identification, citizenship status (they ask for alien documents), social security number, income info and your tax info.
If you have been an alien in RI for fewer than five years, you can get approved to have health insurance. You’ll only be offered the full-priced care package, which is roughly $600 – $800 dollars per month. Once you have lived in Rhode Island for at least five years, then you will be able to receive the normal price. An exception is pregnant women who can receive the normal price, whether they have reached the five-year threshold or not.
Step 3. Pay the first bill. You can do this online, over the phone or in person, or you can mail a check to:
HealthSource RI
PO Box 9711
Providence, RI 02940-9711
Through a first-of-its-kind partnership, customers can also pay by credit, debit or cash at any CVS Pharmacy nationwide (more).
Step 4: You’re insured! Good job, ya did it!
The enrollment process can vary. If you are unsure about your enrollment status, don’t hesitate to call the number above for some answers. Good luck!
**
Rhode Island Free Clinic:
Cost: Free.
Hours: Tue – Fri, 7am – 7pm
Here’s how to qualify:
- You must be a resident of Rhode Island. To prove this, you will need to show one of these forms: A utility bill with your name on it, or any other acceptable document/piece of mail with your RI address.
- You must be age 18 or older
- You can’t have any form of health insurance.
- You must meet low-income guidelines, which is 200% at or below the federal poverty level (this would be $30,360 per year). You have to represent this with one of the following documents: If employed: Your most recent tax return, last two pay stubs or a notarized statement of income. If unemployed: TDI or SNAP authorization letter, or a notarized letter of support. The letter should be written by a supporter of yours and include your name, the supporter’s name, how much the supporter makes per week, month or year, with both of your signatures. Notarize your documents at 148 W River Street, 401-222-3040. There will be a small fee to notarize your documents, so bring a few bucks.
- Show a current picture ID.
If you qualify, round up the documents and arrange your eligibility screening appointment, which you can make over the phone at 401-274-6347. This is not a medical appointment, but an appointment to prove that you qualify to be a patient of theirs. They will not accept you if you don’t bring all of the materials listed above.
* NOTE – the printed original version of this article erroneously stated that the cost was “Usually 9% of your total annual income.”
** NOTE – the printed original version of this article included “Pinching your Pennies?
The 9% chunk of your annual income might be a little too much, but there’s still a way to get healthcare in even the roughest and toughest of situations.”
– we removed this because the 9% number is not representative of the amounts most insured pay, and is in fact much higher than average, according to HealthSourceRI.
