Mayor Madeline Rogero is urging Knoxvillians without health insurance to learn about their options under the Affordable Care Act as the deadline for open enrollment draws to a close on Jan. 31, 2016.

To date, approximately 239,000 Tennesseans have enrolled in private plans through the ACA exchange.

“Many people assume they can’t afford coverage. We want to make it as easy as possible for all Knoxville residents to get access to the information and resources they need,” Mayor Rogero said.

Open enrollment continues through the end of January. Coverage takes effect March 1 for enrollments completed between Jan. 16 and Jan. 31. If families’ plans were auto-renewed by the exchange and they want to pick a different option, they can still do so until Jan. 31.

The penalties for not signing up for a health plan have increased from a minimum of $325 per person in 2015 to $625 per person this year.

Here’s a schedule of remaining enrollment events that are scheduled before the deadline:

Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium, 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge
• Wednesday, Jan. 27 (4 - 8 p.m.) 

Cherokee Health Systems, 2018 Western Avenue
• Saturday, Jan. 30 (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.) 
• Sunday, Jan. 31 (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.)

Call 311, the City of Knoxville’s phone number, to get the complete schedule of enrollment events in Knox County and surrounding counties. The updated calendar of Knoxville and regional enrollment events can also be found by visiting the City’s website at www.knoxvilletn.gov/ACA.

Have questions? There are several outlets for getting straight-forward trustworthy information:

• Visit the federal government website, www.healthcare.gov; 
• Call the health insurance marketplace hotline, 1-800-318-2596; or
• Call Get Covered Tennessee, 1-844-644-5443, for enrollment event locations or to schedule a one-on-on appointment with a trained volunteer.

Anyone wishing to enroll will need these documents:

• Social Security numbers (or document numbers for legal immigrants);
• Employer and income information for every household member to be covered (numbers from pay stubs or W-2 forms – Wage and Tax Statements, modified adjusted gross income);
• Policy numbers for any current health insurance plans covering household members;
• A completed Employer Coverage Tool for every job-based plan for which a member of the household is eligible (www.healthcare.gov/downloads/ECT_Application_508_130615.pdf); and
• Notices from any current plans that include the plan ID, if the enrollee has or had health insurance in 2014.