I finally got it together, coinciding with the federal government getting it together, to sign up for ObamaCare. Unlike a few months ago, when the site wasn’t working and frustration took hold, I actually got it done today, with the help of a broker from Enroll Alaska, about whom I can’t say enough good things. It took about 45 minutes. It was stress free. It worked.
The most surprising thing for me was how relatively affordable the policy was. Where I used to work, the deductible was $2500 and the premiums were about $770 a month. And that was about half of what I would be paying on the private market. The policy I will have now through Premera, thanks to ObamaCare, is about $545 a month, without tax credits or any kind of government help. The deductible is $2000.
If you make less than 400 percent of the poverty level in Alaska– $57,400 a year for a single person or $117,760 for a family of four—you will qualify for subsidies.
To put this in perspective: The state is paying roughly $1400 a month in premiums for every state worker with a deductible anywhere from $300 to $600.
In other words, the policy I signed up for today is $845 less a month than the state pays a month to insure its workers. Let me repeat: $545 month is pure private market money, without any government subsides.
It’s the first time in my life that I’ve ever been able to buy affordable healthcare on the private market. And I’m not alone.
Because of the mess of the ObamaCare roll-out, everything that is claimed to be wrong about the health care system has been saddled on the back of this legislation, and now is being used as political propaganda. The politicians who are making the noise are not subject to the cruelties of the private health insurance market. They have government funded insurance. They have tax payer funded insurance. They are simply unaware of how nearly impossible it was for many to get affordable insurance unless you worked for government or for a big corporation. And they certainly seem unaware of the grinding fear and frustrations, of the millions of stories of bankruptcy and financial ruin, all of which was the experience of the healthcare system for so many.
Sure, there’s probably lots about the healthcare law that needs to be fixed. But as I’ve written before, the more people that have the kind of experience that I had today, the more people are going to wonder why so many politicians are hellbent on getting rid of a policy that has made such an enormous difference in their lives.
The deadline to sign up for insurance to start Jan. 1 is Dec. 23.
Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com
What I’m saying is that those rates were not available to me in prior to this year. I shopped. They just weren’t.
The above document shows rates that became effective January 1, 2013.
Those are new rates.
If there was a better rate prior to 2013 for ACHIA for people, then it was news for all. Call a broker about the subsidies. I went through Enroll Alaska. They’re great.
770 x 2 = $1540 If an Alaskan resident is denied by a company, they could apply for ACHIA and receive a better rate than the $1540.
https://www.healthcare.gov/find-premium-estimates/#results/&aud=indv&type=med&state=AK&county=Anchorage&age0=27&employerCoverage=no&householdSize=1&income=50000
No subsidy amount shown because they do not qualify for one. Change it to age 55 and then the subsidy shows up. The youth are again getting penalized. Increased premiums AND not eligible for subsidies for certain income levels below 400%.
Age 45-49 Female Non-Smoker. If you click on the link, it says Premera BCBS of Alaska, so I would imagine it is an Alaskan plan.
I have no idea how old, what gender, or what kind of health you’re in to receive that rate. I do know that Premera could deny you insurance for any kind of preexisting condition, including diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma.. Finally, are you sure it’s an Alaskan plan?
Katmai: I said $545 a month NOT $1540. A 27 year old making $50,000 would receive a subsidy. Why are you saying they wouldn’t?
The premium for a $2500 deductible for the Alaska high risk pool is even below the approximately $1540 referenced amount in the article. http://achia.com/docs/ACHIA%202013%20Non-Medicare%20Premium%20Rates%20rev11012012.pdf
Try to see if a 27 year old making $50,000 qualifies for a subsidy. Subsidy = 0 BUT… “If you make less than 400 percent of the poverty level in Alaska– $57,400 a year for a single person or $117,760 for a family of four—you will qualify for subsidies.” –> Not true
$2500 deductible for Premera shows $472 in premium for the same demographic in a 2013 plan and that wasn’t affordable? https://www.premera.com/documents/008476.pdf
How is the consumer eligible for cost sharing subsidies on a zero premium plan? The only way to receive 0 premium is by purchasing a bronze plan. The only way to receive cost sharing subsidies is by purchasing a silver plan. Please provide the information to fill out at https://www.healthcare.gov/find-premium-estimates/ to obtain those details. Thanks!
I am SO happy to see tour post and those of others who found affordable coverage through the ACA. I am one of the few Certified Application Counselors in Mat-Su and I have been thrilled by the ease of my job lately. I have helped a 55-year-old substitute teacher making about 30K find a subsidized plan with Moda for $0 premiums (ZERO), a $500 deductible and a maximum out-of-pocket cost of $1,200. She couldn’t believe it. She had been paying $500/mth. I also helped a couple who have their own small business making $25K. They also won’t pay a premium and their maximum cost will only be $1,000. This will come in handy later as the husband is donating a kidney to his mother soon. Let’s keep these amazing stories going to try to drown out the mounds of negativity being spewed every day.
Me too! It was really easy to sign up and to understand the different plans. I’m eligible for Tax Credits and the savings are huge. Enough to make a car payment or send extra to pay off the mortgage sooner. Or save for retirement or just funnel a few hundred dollar back into the local economy every now and then.
My plan is also much, much better so if I do need care then I will save thousands more.
Sounds like your experience was similar to mine. Frankly, I was surprised at the affordability of the program and the benefits of my insurance policy. All of this was a remarkable and pleasant surprise given all that I have heard and read about the ACA.
Me too. Thank goodness the computer system got fixed.