The Massachusetts Health Connector has launched a three-week statewide tour to promote the start of open enrollment on Nov. 1, 2018.
Through a social media campaign and in-person outreach by health exchange staffers, the goal is to remind everyone that Massachusetts still has an individual mandate, according to Health Connector spokesman Jason Lefferts.
"The federal penalities are going away, but the state mandate remains in place, as it has since 2006," said Jefferts. "So, if you are a Massachusetts resident and you don't have health insurance you could be facing a tax penalty."
The Health Connector will offer 57 insurance plans from nine carriers. Premiums have gone up by an average of 5 percent. Last year, there were double-digit rate increases after federal subsidy payments were cut.
Massachusetts has the highest insured rate in the country, with 97 percent of its residents covered.
