(Newark, NJ, September 10, 2019) – With the price tag for health insurance remaining a driving factor of consumers’ choice in a health plan, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) enters the annual open enrollment period with the smallest year over year price change among all carriers in the NJ individual market and a new, discounted option for its most popular plan. For approximately 300,000 New Jersey consumers who purchase health insurance on their own each year, the annual open enrollment period begins on Friday, November 1 and ends on Sunday, December 15.

For 2020, Horizon BCBSNJ has added the new, lower priced OMNIA Silver Value plan to its menu of individual offerings, featuring a premium that is 15% less than the OMNIA Silver product. Horizon offers five OMNIA Health Plans (Bronze HSA, Silver Value, Silver, Silver HSA, and Gold) and three broad network Advantage plans for the 2020 enrollment year. Since the introduction of Affordable Care Act plans in 2014, more New Jerseyans have chosen a plan from Horizon BCBSNJ than from any other health insurer.

“Cost is a significant issue and no one is doing more to deliver value and quality to individual consumers than Horizon,” said Michael J. Considine, Vice President of Consumer, Small Group and Mid-Sized Markets for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. “About 80 percent of consumers are eligible to receive financial assistance that lowers, and in many cases, eliminates almost completely their premium cost. Unfortunately, many consumers still don’t know this or don’t know how to take advantage of this assistance.” To further help consumers find coverage that best fits their budget and health care needs, Horizon BCBSNJ is offering an online shopping site that generates a price quote, inclusive of financial assistance, in two minutes or less. The online shopping site also allows consumers to add coverage for other health needs otherwise not available on the Federal Marketplace, such as low-cost dental and vision insurance.

The online tool is one of many ways that Horizon BCBSNJ is connecting consumers to quality coverage at an affordable cost. With a focus on serving customers in the communities where they live, work and shop, Horizon BCBSNJ will also:

• Dispatch the “Blue To You” mobile vans, staffed by multi-lingual agents, to several Walgreens to educate and enroll consumers.
• Extend call center hours at night and on weekends so trained and licensed telephone agents can answer questions and help enroll people into consumer plans both on and off the exchange. Consumers seeking to enroll or re-enroll can reach agents at 1-800-224-1234.

Consumers can receive face to face, one on one assistance from enrollment specialists at Horizon Connect locations across the state, and can find days and times of operations here, for Sanitas Medical Centers in Union City (3196 John F. Kennedy Blvd), Belleville (1 Clara Maas Drive), and Elizabeth (240 Williamson St Suite 302) and Horizon Connect in Moorestown (East Gate Square Shopping Center). Shopping mall and Hola Doctor locations include:

Bergen Town Center Mall - Paramus

1 Bergen Town Center, Paramus, New Jersey 07652

Willowbrook Mall - Wayne

1400 Willowbrook Mall, Wayne, NJ 07014

Woodbridge Center Mall

250 Woodbridge Center Dr, Woodbridge, NJ 07095

Hola Doctor - Jersey City

353 Central Ave., Jersey City, New Jersey 07307

Hola Doctor - Perth Amboy

197 Smith St., Perth Amboy, New Jersey 08861