King’s Daughters Medical Center is providing services to help residents bypass worry about signing up for healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

Until the enrollment period ends on Feb. 15, KDMC is encouraging all those with questions regarding signing up for healthcare to call and set up an appointment with Medical Advocacy Services for Healthcare representative, Jerri McGee.

“From what I’ve heard, the process is confusing,” McGee said. “People like to have someone to sit down, get the info and break it down for them.”

When a client comes in for an appointment with McGee, they go through an initial screening that looks at income and household size. Then McGee will assist them with completing an online profile if the client has an email address. If there is not email address, McGee will help them set up an email account or move on to a paper application.

McGee said ACA eligibility is found out immediately, and she will assist her clients with plan selection where she said most people focus on premium, deductibles and amount owed to physicians.

Upon completion of the application and plan selection, McGee said the insurance company will contact clients within a week with a notice of the first month’s premium.

“Once you pay your first premium, your plan become effective,” McGee said. “For those who sign up by the Feb. 15 deadline, their plan will become effective Mar. 1.”

McGee said those without insurance – even those who apply for the Feb. 15 deadline because their plan won’t become effective until Mar. 1, after tax filing season – will have to pay a fee of $95 or one percent of their income, whichever is higher. She said this fee will increase in 2016 for those uninsured in 2015 to $325 or two percent of income for an adult and $162.50 for uninsured children.

McGee said she stresses the Feb. 15 deadline because the next enrollment period isn’t until Nov. so its important to take action now.

“It’s just one of the public services for us to provide,” Marketing Director for KDMC, David Culpepper said. “It’s important we have a healthier community.”

Culpepper said this round of enrollment help will be the hospital’s second such event. The first, he said, involved visitors from Jackson, but this time KDMC has an in-house contact to help locals.

“There were so many people with so many questions,” Culpepper said. He continued to explain how much more helpful it is “if you’ve got someone there to answer those questions and gives some guidance.”

McGee agrees and acknowledges the importance of the service to the community.

“ Some people don’t have internet at home,” McGee said. “It’s a great service to assist them with that here.”

Culpepper said for those who already have existing insurance, it’s important to have an annual check-up. The Affordable Care Act hopefully allows people to obtain insurance and have an annual check-up. This is a great way to receive preventive treatments that can prolong the health and quality of life.

“Some people may like it or dislike it but it’s a part of the society,” Culpepper said.

He said because of this fact, the hospital is doing what it can to provide services like this that go along with the center’s mission of providing quality health and wellness in a Christian environment.