I’ve been trying to apply for health insurance on the Federal Exchange (which Arizona uses) since it went online. It’s been a struggle!
The website is buggy and not ready for the usage it has been seeing. My big problem was that I started an application for just myself, and then after getting part way through I tried to use the option to “Add another applicant”. It went nowhere. The link/button did absolutely nothing.
So for two weeks I’ve been periodically logging in to see if the ability to add another user has been fixed, without success. And then just yesterday I started having another problem. Before I could even get to the page to add Gisele, I started getting a popup that my immigration status documentation was invalid (Huh?). I tried calling, but they couldn’t help me. They just suggested I either buy over the phone (no way; I want to see details and compare options), or just keep trying and hopefully that bug will get fixed.
So finally today, brilliant brainstorm! I started a new application in Gisele’s name. This time I included both of us in the initial application and things went pretty well. Slow, but I was able to complete the application. So my half-finished app is still sitting there in limbo, but I don’t think that matters.
Having applied for insurance about 10 years ago, I really appreciated the simplicity of the new application. The only health-related questions you have to answer are your age and whether or not you smoke. The last time I applied I had to submit a complete health history of every organ and system in my body, listing any visits to see a doctor about any specific problems over that past 10 years.
So OK, now I am signed up and can view the available insurance options. There were 111 plans available for us, with the cheapest about $750 for the two of us and going up to over $2000. Obviously I want in on the lower end.
I’ve narrowed it down to two plans, one from Aetna and one from BCBS. We already have BCBS and have been happy with them so we’re leaning that way, but we’ll sleep on it a few days.
The plans I am looking at are about the same monthly premium as my current plan. They have a higher deductible, but on the other hand there is no lifetime maximum and my pre-existing condition is completely covered, unlike before. Copays are in the same ballpark. So all in all it’s a reasonable upgrade. I do have the option to keep my old grandfathered plan, but I think getting complete coverage and no lifetime maximum is worthwhile.
One thing I would point out if you are curious about the plans but unable or unwilling to apply to the exchanges, you can go directly to the insurance companies’ webpages and view all their eligible plans there. Just be sure to select a plan that goes into effect Jan 1, 2014 to be sure you are looking at the new ACA-approved plans.
Unfortunately I won’t be signing up for anything until I’m 65. I got free medical insurance from Hughes/Boeing when I retired at 55 that lasts until I’m 65. It’s rough not having to pay but I’ll survive somehow.
Comment by Don — October 18, 2013 @ 10:38 pm
Unfortunately, the horrible software development job the developers have done has diverted peoples attention from the benefits/pitfalls of the program itself. I hope they get it fixed soon.
Unfortuately, Darin and Diane fall through the hole that exists in some Red states. They make too much for Tenessee’s medicare program, but not enough to qualify for ACA. They would qualify in Blue states. Something needs to be done about that.
Comment by Richard — October 19, 2013 @ 4:20 am
Um, everyone qualifies for ACA. Or do you mean they don’t qualify for FREE ACA?
Comment by Don — October 19, 2013 @ 7:06 am
Wow! $750 a month is affordable? I’ll keep working until I’m Medicare eligible. That’s the main (only) reason I’m putting off early retirement.
Comment by Donna — October 19, 2013 @ 9:30 am
No. They do not qualify at all. It’s called the ACA Coverage Gap. Google it.
Comment by Richard — October 19, 2013 @ 9:47 am
Essentially, the ACA provided funding for 3 years to states so they could raise their Medicaid income levels up to the bottom of the ACA levels. The Supreme Court made that optional, and most Republican led states opted not to accept the funding and did not do so. TN is one of those states. Therefore, people living in those states who make more than Medicaid limits, but less than the bottom amount for the Marketplaces are left out.
Comment by Richard — October 19, 2013 @ 9:53 am
But that’s not possible. Our president said EVERYONE would be covered. And our president would never lie.
Comment by Don — October 19, 2013 @ 4:57 pm
And EVERYONE would be covered if all the Republican Governors did what all the Democrat Governors did, instead of trying to sabotage the ACA at every turn.
Comment by Richard — October 19, 2013 @ 6:32 pm
Or if the Democrats had worked with the Republicans and not shoved something down their throat without a single Republican vote. You know, negotiated, compromised?
That way EVERYONE could have been covered. But old Oblama had to have it his way. He doesn’t know how to compromise.
Comment by Don — October 20, 2013 @ 7:41 am
How’s that Hope and Change working out for you?
Comment by Don — October 20, 2013 @ 7:42 am
Donna,
The $750 is for two, so it’s about $375 each. I’m sure your current insurance costs more than that, but you don’t see it because your employer pays much or all of it.
Richard,
People in the “gap” can still buy exchange health insurance plans, they just don’t get any financial help, which could make it prohibitively expensive. When I signed up I didn’t bother stating my income — it was optional. Using that alternative you wait until you file taxes next year and if you qualify you get a tax credit.
Don,
I don’t understand that frequently heard expression that Obamacare was “shoved down our throat” or “rammed through”. It was passed by a democratically elected Congress and signed by a democratically elected President. Similar bills that were “rammed through” in the past are the Emancipation Proclamation (Lincoln), Social Security (F.D. Roosevelt), de-segregation of the military (Truman), Civil Rights Act and Medicare (Johnson). They were bills supported by one party that was in the majority and strongly opposed by the other party. When the Republicans gain a majority some time in the future, I’m sure they will “ram through” more bills of their own liking too. If people don’t like it they will vote correspondingly in the next election. That’s how Democracy works.
I don’t remember seeing any Republican proposals or suggestions that would have covered everyone with affordable health care. The original ACA would have with the Medicaid expansion, but unfortunately the Supreme Court said that states could opt out and several did.
And the Hope and Change are working out OK. I’m getting a better insurance policy than I had.
Comment by Daryl — October 20, 2013 @ 9:42 am
And Joan Walsh makes a strong case in Salon that “hundreds of GOP amendments were accepted” to the bill and that the so-called “Gang of Six” bipartisan committee worked for months to try to hammer out a compromise that both sides could accept.
The lack of Republican votes for the ACA was not because the Democrats didn’t try to compromise. They tried very hard. Republicans voted against it (despite the inclusion of amendments that they asked for) because they were determined to deny Obama any victories.
Comment by Daryl — October 20, 2013 @ 9:56 am
I will have to call bulls**t on your statement that the Democrats “tried very hard”.
They didn’t either. They had a super-majority and didn’t have to “try very hard”.
If they had indeed “tried very hard” they would have been successful in getting a bill that the majority of Americans agreed with instead of something that the majority of Americans wanted changed (at least if you can believe the majority of the non-biased polls).
Perhaps H&C is working out fine for you but most people weren’t lucky enough to go to work for either Intel or Microsoft back in the 80’s so that they were able to retire at 49 years old.
Most people have to work until they are 65 or older and now that Obama and his cronies have mucked up the economy instead of turning it around like Reagan did in the 80’s many of them will have to work until they are 70 or 75.
In case you haven’t checked lately $750/month will buy a very, very nice Mercedes.
Comment by Don — October 20, 2013 @ 1:07 pm
http://skyrocketingpremiums.com/
Comment by Don — October 20, 2013 @ 1:10 pm
I’d thought we’d been over this.
The website (skyrocketing premiums.com) is just a series of anecdotal stories without any statistics. Certainly premiums have been going up for decades, but all the statistics I can find (for example This Reuters’ article) shows that insurance premiums the past couple of years are rising slower than in previous years and slower than projected. They didn’t limit their statistics to people who were lucky enough to retire early.
We’ve discussed several times that comparing the current recession with other recent ones is apples and oranges. This was a systematic financial recession most similar to the recession that started in 1929. Without the stimulus we likely would have had a recurrence of that depression. I think Obama’s team has done a remarkable job despite strong opposition.
My comments about Democrats trying very hard were taken from the Salon article. Address your complaints to them, not me. But I think she made a good case.
And $750 per month may buy a nice Mercedes but it won’t pay for a day of hospital stay unless you have insurance. Agreed, the price is very high. But that’s nothing new. I was paying that much when Bush was still in office.
Comment by Daryl — October 20, 2013 @ 2:49 pm
So how is Politifact rating “If you like your insurance you can keep your insurance”?
How about “If you like your Dr. you can keep your Dr.”?
Comment by Don — October 30, 2013 @ 5:21 pm
Since you asked, they rated David Axelrod’s statement “The vast majority of people in this country are keeping their (health insurance) plan.” as “Mostly True”. (http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/oct/29/david-axelrod/david-axelrod-says-vast-majority-americans-will-ke/)
I don’t think they’re rated the Dr. part yet.
Comment by Daryl — October 30, 2013 @ 5:43 pm
But how about Obama’s statement “if your like your insurance you can keep it”?
Come on Daryl, stop drinking the kool-aid. You know darn well there are more than 2 million people who have lost the insurance plan they wanted to “keep”.
This is a BIG, BIG lie bordering on an impeachable offense.
Comment by Don — October 30, 2013 @ 7:32 pm
So I guess the real question then is, is Obama an incredible liar who can’t tell the truth about anything or is he just massively incompetent and really is completely out of the loop and clueless about everything?
It’s got to be one or the other. Benghazi, Fast & Furious, Obamacare, NSA wiretapping, Spying on our friends. He says he found out about all of these things by reading the news paper. REALLY? If so I think we need to urge our congressmen to consider impeachment even stronger because a president who’s that clueless is worthless.
Comment by Don — October 30, 2013 @ 7:44 pm
I could respond to this and try to present some balance to your outrage, but I’m going to have to call an end to this fruitless discussion. We’re not even on the same playing field. You see green when I see red. You see anteaters when I see ostriches. We can’t even agree on the definition of “lie”. I don’t see us reaching a common ground, or having a rational discussion. I’d like to say “It’s been fun”, but it’s been too frustrating to be fun.
Comment by Daryl — October 30, 2013 @ 8:16 pm