Here’s the deal. I pay for my own private health insurance. I got a love note from the insurer informing me that, as of Jan. 1, my premiums will more than double. That is simply not doable. I would like to see what is available through the exchange, but I have heard that once in, I’m locked in. What is the truth of that?
Has anyone gone through an exchange and can tell me what kind of information they want?
Is going without insurance a reasonable option?
Most importantly, can anyone point me to a web site that should be able to answer my insurance-ignorant questions so I can understand them?
p.s. If anyone is actually going to find their health care more affordable, I’d love to hear about it.
I got into the exchange, filled out the questionnaire, looked at my options and exited. I have not committed to any plan, and am told by my insurer that I can still renew my current plan for another year, although it doesn’t comply with the ACA.
I don’t even remember the questions, they’re pretty routine and more oriented toward age and income than health status (so they can decide whether I’m eligible for a subsidy.) The only specific health question I can remember is whether I use tobacco.
As I understand it, the rates on the ACA-compliant policies are determined by group demographics rather than your individual health history. So an unhealthy person in his 20’s will actually end up paying less than a never been sick 60-year old.
And for whether anyone finds health care more affordable, I have daughter with pre-existing conditions, a niece with lupus, a niece with MS and a nephew who recovered from systemic organ failure – all of whom found insurance completely unavailable at any cost before ACA.
They ask for name, ssn, address, DOB, sex, status (individual/family) and income.
In CA, you’re free to browse and get quotes by specifying only zip, status and income - it will show base premium, any subsidy to which you are entitled, and your net premium.
I also has a chart/table to show benefits of each of the coverage levels (“get covered”, bronze, silver, gold, platinum).
If you want to purchase, you set up an account and then select a plan, then go through a basic checkout to pay the first month’s premium.
Nothing to worry about. It’s just you and the HHS (and NSA)
You’re not locked in like you have to purchase a plan, just that you can’t go back and change your income if they incorrectly determine you are eligible for medicare, price it out for say, you + family vs family alone if, say you have health insurance through work but it doesn’t meet the ACA bronze requirements or costs too much, etc. Or at least you couldn’t 10 days ago- it would only let you fill out one “application”, and once you entered what you entered you were done.