Applying for Health Insurance

If you do not have health insurance, you may be eligible for AHCCCS (Medicaid), KidsCare, or the Healthcare Marketplace.

•  If you missed the open-enrollment period, you may still be eligible for health insurance under the Special Enrollment Period.
  • You are only eligible for Special Enrollment if a qualifying life event occurs, such as getting married, having a baby, or losing other health coverage.
• You can apply and enroll in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) any time of year.

To see if you can still get or change your 2021 health coverage visit the HealthCare.gov website.

Assistance with Applying for Health Insurance

Cover Arizona offers free application assistance for individuals looking to enroll in a health plan. This can be done by scheduling an over-the-phone appointment or by going online to get connected with an assistor.

• Call Cover Arizona at 1-800-377-3536 or use the online Get Covered Connector to get help applying for insurance. 

Medical Expenses Assistance

Community Health Centers throughout Arizona accept most insurance plans. People without insurance may qualify for a sliding fee for primary health care services.

• Find your nearest Community Health Center and call them for help with applying for insurance or for affordable primary health care.

COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine

Through the CARES Act, the federal government has mandated that private insurers generally must waive an insurance plan member’s cost-sharing payments for COVID-19 diagnostic testing and certain related items and services. What each insurance company offers in terms of help will vary.

• CARES Act Provider Relief Fund: For Patients – If you have insurance, private insurers generally must waive an insurance plan member’s cost-sharing payments for COVID-19 diagnostic testing and certain related items and services.
  • Some private insurers, including Humana, Cigna, UnitedHealth Group, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield system, have agreed to waive cost-sharing payments for COVID-19 treatment for insured patients.
  • If a patient has insurance and seeks COVID-19 treatment from an out-of-network provider that has received General or Targeted Distributions from the Provider Relief Fund, the provider has agreed not to seek to collect out-of-pocket payments greater than what the patient would have otherwise been required to pay if the care had been provided by an in-network provider.

The Governor of Arizona issued Executive Order 2020-07 that instructs the Department of Health Services and the Department of Insurance to require all Arizona-regulated insurers to cover COVID diagnostic testing from all qualified laboratories without regard to whether the laboratory is in-network; waive all cost-sharing requirements for consumers related to COVID-19 diagnostic testing; and, cover telemedicine visits at a lower cost-sharing point for consumers than the same in-office service to encourage utilization of telemedicine for the duration of the state’s public health emergency. 

COVID-19 vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. However, vaccination providers will be able to charge an administrative fee for giving the shot to someone. Vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.

Arizona’s state Medicaid agency, AHCCCS, has announced that eligible members will be able to request transportation to and from their COVID-19 vaccination appointments, including drive-through appointments. AHCCCS is providing transportation to COVID-19 vaccine appointments to ensure Medicaid-eligible individuals have equal access to this critical health service, and is working on eliminating any potential barriers to care.

Eligible AHCCCS members who have a scheduled COVID-19 vaccination appointment should contact their health plan to schedule non-emergency transportation to attend their appointment.

For more information, visit AHCCCS FAQs COVID-19 vaccine.