Catamount Health Outreach Initiative and Enrollment Help in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties:

Greetings Community Members!  I am the Franklin County outreach person for the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security, a non-profit group that is dedicated to informing Vermonters about their eligibility for Catamount Health and other state subsidized health care plans and assisting them in enrolling in these plans.  It is our vision that all Vermonters have access to affordable comprehensive health care.                                    

People are eligible for Catamount Health immediately if they have been uninsured for 12 consecutive months or if they lost insurance by losing or quitting a job, reducing their hours to part-time, retiring, no longer choosing (or able) to receive COBRA (health insurance from a previous employer), leaving college, aging off a parents' plan, getting divorced, or if the primary health care holder in the family dies.

Additionally, anyone who has private insurance with a plan that has an annual deductible of $10,000 or more can get enrolled in Catamount Health immediately. However, they must pay the full price for one year ($393/month) and then they will be eligible for premium assistance.

Previously, Vermonters with any pre-existing condition would not have the medical expenses incurred due to this condition covered by Catamount Health until the initial 12-month waiting period was over.  Currently, there is an amnesty period on pre-existing conditions for anyone enrolling in Catamount Health between now and November 1. 2008.  This means that if you enroll before that date, your pre-existing condition will be covered by Catamount.

Costs for Catamount Health with premium assistance ranges from $65 to $185 per adult per month. Premium assistance is available to Vermonters earning up to 300% above the federal poverty line (about $32,000 for a single person or $63.000 for a family of 4). People who earn more than that and who are eligible can buy Catamount Health at the full price ($393/month) without state subsidy.

Anyone with questions about their eligibility or needing help with the application process can be in touch with me at 524-5012.   We also have a website: www.catamounthealth.org and a toll-free helpline: 1-866-482-4723.

  --
Cathy Fitzgerald; Franklin County Outreach
VT Campaign for Health Care Security Education Fund
www.catamounthealth.org
cathycatamount@gmail.com 524-5012