Just two days into the open enrollment period for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act one local organization said it’s already filling its schedule with individuals needing assistance.

Northwest Health Services said its outreach team has been hard at work in recent week connecting with partner agencies and preparing individuals for the open enrollment period.

“It’s pretty amazing how many people have questions about the ACA after three years, but insurance has never been easy to understand and we try our best to educate the public on the topic,” said Cameron Corbet, Director of Development at Northwest Health Services. “We try and take the politics out of it, and provide the facts,” said Corbet.

Penalties are higher than they were last year for those who chose not to carry insurance. For each person in a household, the financial penalty is $695 per person per household and $347.50 for each child, or the total penalty could be 2.5% of the household’s total income, whichever is greater.

“Our goals for this year, at Northwest Health Services, is to keep searching for individuals in need of insurance, and to retain individuals who purchased plans in previous years,” said Corbet. “It’s all about providing a service, we’re here and we’re available.”

Open enrollment began Sunday, Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 31.

Northwest Health Services Application Counselors can be reached at (816) 383-2527 or online at nwhealth-services.org/aca