Those looking for help to navigate signing up for Affordable Care Act can find it in a variety of places in eastern North Carolina.

Enrollment for the ACA began Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 15. Greenville nonprofit Access East announced that its navigators will be offering free, unbiased, in-person assistance to those signing up for 2020 ACA health insurance.

“Navigators get no commissions, no matter what insurance plan a person picks,” program coordinator Cheryl Hallock wrote in a press release. Access East is hosting enrollment events in Greenville at its office on Stanton Square on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Beaufort County residents, however, do not have to go that far, according to Frank Rabey, Access East’s communication coordinator.

“We do not have any scheduled Beaufort County events at this point. However, Arden Root, one of our Certified Marketplace Navigators, essentially is keeping ‘office hours’ in Washington one day a week for much of this Open Enrollment, at Brown Library, 122 Van Norden St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Friday through Dec. 6, with the exception of Nov. 29,” Rabey said.

Navigators also can help those seeking insurance through the ACA with helping insurers sign up for federal subsidies to offset the cost of premiums, as well as help explain any “potentially confusing letter consumers might receive from the Health Insurance Marketplace, insurance companies, advertisers are telemarketers.

Blue Cross Blue Shield is the only ACA insurance provider for most of eastern North Carolina, according to a press release from Access East.

Among the changes to this year’s plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield’s “Silver” plans now allow for three primary care and three mental health visits with no co-pay. The press release also states that most 2020 premiums are lower than last year.

To schedule a one-on-one appointment with Beaufort County navigator Arden Root, call 252-717-1136.