Obama care enrollment: first hand stories

[pattygbucks]

I've gotten quotes for my family of 6 in Massachusetts @$1000/month for the lowest cost bronze plan. I do not know anyone who has completed the process. So I'm looking for first hand knowledge. I asked this before in another thread viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19446 but that thread is really big and lots of diverse topics...

And this kid, the poster child for enrollment didn't really complete the process.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/0 ... 37136.html

"Chad Henderson, who told The Huffington Post and numerous other news outlets that he had enrolled in health coverage via the Obamacare health insurance exchanges, recanted his story Friday."

[Rita]

I've been trying the website, but haven't gotten through, yet. I'm looking forward to paying less than $500/month AND mental health benefits! I know we've got months, but I really want this!

Has anyone been successful?

[FeministShrew]

One of my FB friends has been keeping us updated on his efforts to enroll. (Yes, his FB is public) The site wasn't saving the information on the application, & he was having trouble verifying his i.d. He called & talked to an actual person, who said there are a lot of bugs in the site & they're slowly getting them worked out. With so much traffic, there were bound to be problems.

[Ariel]

I've been trying to get through for a few days. I get to the part where I enter my name, create a username, password, and create security questions. I press enter, it pauses for 30 seconds, and then it tells me the system isn't working. I've done this 5 times.

I'm giving up for a few weeks in hopes of the bugs going way.

I do have a friend that made it through. From what I've seen, as a single person, if your income is less than 20k you'll get extremely cheap insurance.

[Becoming_Me]

From what I've seen, as a single person, if your income is less than 20k you'll get extremely cheap insurance.

I must say I am not happy with Obamacare, (right now I am in the a stage of hating all politicians, cause I don't think any of them care about anyone but themselves) but extremely cheap sounds good.

[Mellanya]

I read a lot of Facebook updates from American friends these day, all talking about Obama care.

From what I can tell, many got through after multiple tries.

Unfortunately, it seems to be mostly those who just want to get into the system to post on facebook how terrible it is. Most of them say they have no intention to use it and to actually switch. Which kind of sucks considering I heard a lot of people who really want to use the system have major access problems.

[Swamptribe]

I know a couple of people who got through, and they are saving, on average, 100 bucks a month, for more extensive coverage. I haven't been able to get through. Maybe need to stay up late one night and do it that way.

[Guest LilaFowler]

How is the dental coverage?

[LittleMama]

I'm glad I found this! I asked the same Q on FB and realized quickly that most of our "FB friends" were happy with their coverage and not changing. We don't have any coverage by choice (we don't have a high income and use more homeopathic routes usually- midwife, chiropractor, etc) so this is a big hange for us. I am wondering how expensive emergency insurance is going to cost us. Honestly I'd love vision/dental but I suspect we will only be able to afford high deductible emergency insurance, if that.

I've held off going online because of the bug reports, so hopefully soon I can see exactly what we will have to budget.

[rward]

I've gotten quotes for my family of 6 in Massachusetts @$1000/month for the lowest cost bronze plan. I do not know anyone who has completed the process. So I'm looking for first hand knowledge. I asked this before in another thread viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19446 but that thread is really big and lots of diverse topics...

And this kid, the poster child for enrollment didn't really complete the process.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/0 ... 37136.html

"Chad Henderson, who told The Huffington Post and numerous other news outlets that he had enrolled in health coverage via the Obamacare health insurance exchanges, recanted his story Friday."

Do you know what your subsidy will be yet? For a family of 6, you should get a sizable subsidy, unless your income is really high.

ETA:

The ACA ensures affordable coverage for more middle income families. The ACA extends health subsidies to people whose incomes are 300 percent to 400 percent of the federal poverty level (that is approx. $46,000 for an individual). This measure is to try to make health insurance affordable for more low-and-middle-income families.

here's a subsidy calculator: http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/

[Verin Sedai]

So, I think I am understanding that you can be too POOR to get subsidies, but not poor enough for Medicaid? Because I just put our family into the calculator and it said we wouldn't qualify for a subsidy and would have to pay 60% of our yearly income on a silver level plan.

[Coconut Flan]

It seems that people who fall into the supposed Medicaid expansion portion are out of luck if their state doesn't expand Medicaid. That seems like some of the people who should be helped the most.

[LittleMama]

Thanks for the link!! It says we qualify for Medicaid, but I am not sure if we want to take it. Nothing against it if you need it, but we have done fine without and I am wondering if you can have it And never use it except for an emergency... Or do you have to go all in he program, etc? All I know is that my sister is on it and she hasn't always got the best medical care because she was a "Medicaid patient" .

Anyways I tried the site and started to sign up, but it said it didn't work so I tried again and it said my username was already in use... So I might try again in a few days.

[Black Aliss]

I've gotten quotes for my family of 6 in Massachusetts @$1000/month for the lowest cost bronze plan.

If you're in MA aren't you already covered under RomneyCare?

[Mama Mia]

Do you know what your subsidy will be yet? For a family of 6, you should get a sizable subsidy, unless your income is really high.

ETA:

here's a subsidy calculator: http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/

The problem in using the federal poverty level is that it is pretty meaningless in high cost areas. And a family who is making 3x the federal poverty level might get some sort of subsidy, but a very small one.

I really think they should be tying the subsidies to the areas AMI (average median income) they do this with federal housing programs, so I don't see why they couldn't do it with insurance. I think they would get fewer complaints and more buy in from the public.

[pattygbucks]

If you're in MA aren't you already covered under RomneyCare?

My husband is retired military, so we do not need coverage...I'm checking things out for my oldest child, who will graduate from college May 2014.

But because I was curious I looked up the premium for the whole family. btw: I did not need to go through healthcare.gov (as to not clog up the system) but could check it out through https://www.mahealthconnector.org/

We live in the greater Boston area, I agree with Mrs S2004; federal poverty level is meaningless here. With the calculator linked above, subsidies end at 127K. Median single family home price is $500K. We are renting...don't have the $100,000 for a down payment. We are saving and I could be neighbors to the Maxwell family in Leavenworth and be really close to debt free... :D

[bananacat]

My husband is retired military, so we do not need coverage...I'm checking things out for my oldest child, who will graduate from college May 2014.

But because I was curious I looked up the premium for the whole family. btw: I did not need to go through healthcare.gov (as to not clog up the system) but could check it out through https://www.mahealthconnector.org/

We live in the greater Boston area, I agree with Mrs S2004; federal poverty level is meaningless here. With the calculator linked above, subsidies end at 127K. Median single family home price is $500K. We are renting...don't have the $100,000 for a down payment. We are saving and I could be neighbors to the Maxwell family in Leavenworth and be really close to debt free... :D

Your child should already be covered under your plan until they are 26, based on earlier phases of the ACA that have been around a for a year or more. If your child is the standard student, they will be about 22-23 when they graduate and will have at least 3 years to stay on your plan, by which time they will hopefully have a full time job that offers benefits.

[dawbs]

I'm 99% sure that military health care is the exception to 'make sure your kids get coverage' portion of the law.

Your child should already be covered under your plan until they are 26, based on earlier phases of the ACA that have been around a for a year or more. If your child is the standard student, they will be about 22-23 when they graduate and will have at least 3 years to stay on your plan, by which time they will hopefully have a full time job that offers benefits.

[hahe77]

I need to verify my ID. I called the verify number and wait for 20 minutes. The agent asks for my reference number. I don't have one and was told to call the marketplace, get the reference number and call back. So I call the marketplace and was told that the extension I need is down and I need to call back in an hour. I gave up for the night but will attempt to go through the whole process today.

[OkToBeTakei]

Thanks for the link!! It says we qualify for Medicaid, but I am not sure if we want to take it. Nothing against it if you need it, but we have done fine without and I am wondering if you can have it And never use it except for an emergency... Or do you have to go all in he program, etc? All I know is that my sister is on it and she hasn't always got the best medical care because she was a "Medicaid patient" .

Anyways I tried the site and started to sign up, but it said it didn't work so I tried again and it said my username was already in use... So I might try again in a few days.

Is that not what one of the big issues is? People mistakenly believe they do not need or ever will need cover and then when it does happen because nobody can predict the future they then drain the system using ER as primary care driving up the price for those who do have insurance?

[pattygbucks]

Your child should already be covered under your plan until they are 26, based on earlier phases of the ACA that have been around a for a year or more. If your child is the standard student, they will be about 22-23 when they graduate and will have at least 3 years to stay on your plan, by which time they will hopefully have a full time job that offers benefits.

Not for military families...Tricare ends at 21/23. After that age, there is a monthly premium, $156 to $180 per month starting Jan 2014

[outrunningzombies]

Thanks for the link!! It says we qualify for Medicaid, but I am not sure if we want to take it. Nothing against it if you need it, but we have done fine without and I am wondering if you can have it And never use it except for an emergency... Or do you have to go all in he program, etc? All I know is that my sister is on it and she hasn't always got the best medical care because she was a "Medicaid patient" .

Anyways I tried the site and started to sign up, but it said it didn't work so I tried again and it said my username was already in use... So I might try again in a few days.

Not having insurance is great, until you break a bone. You'll spend thousands to see the ER doc who can't say no to you, will put a temporary splint on your arm, and tell you to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon. There are no ortho docs (at least in my area) who take uninsured patients without payment in full up front.

Or, maybe you'll wake up in the middle of the night with horrible, horrible pain and you end up going to the ER because you can't stand it. If you're lucky it's your appendix or an ectopic pregnancy, you get emergency surgery, you can declare bankruptcy for the $50k+++ bill, and you don't have any more pain. If you aren't lucky, it's gallstones. It's not lethal, just painful, so the ER tells you to follow up with a surgeon as an outpatient. Surgeons don't take uninsured patients, so you'll spend the next few years coming back to the ER, praying that this will be the time that your gallbladder is infected and can be removed.

Insurance also helps in small ways, like enabling you to take the kids to the doctor earlier in the course of their nausea/vomiting/diarrhea bug so they can get some nausea medicine and not end up admitted at the hospital for dehydration. Then it covers the cost of the melt in your mouth, sweet tasting nausea tablets for the 6 year old instead of you buying the non-dissolvable ones because they're cheaper and then having to convince a sick, nauseated kid to swallow something.

Medicaid can be tough to navigate and there are fewer primary care providers who take it, but it is SO much better than not having insurance.

[OkToBeTakei]

Not having insurance is great, until you break a bone. You'll spend thousands to see the ER doc who can't say no to you, will put a temporary splint on your arm, and tell you to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon. There are no ortho docs (at least in my area) who take uninsured patients without payment in full up front.

Or, maybe you'll wake up in the middle of the night with horrible, horrible pain and you end up going to the ER because you can't stand it. If you're lucky it's your appendix or an ectopic pregnancy, you get emergency surgery, you can declare bankruptcy for the $50k+++ bill, and you don't have any more pain. If you aren't lucky, it's gallstones. It's not lethal, just painful, so the ER tells you to follow up with a surgeon as an outpatient. Surgeons don't take uninsured patients, so you'll spend the next few years coming back to the ER, praying that this will be the time that your gallbladder is infected and can be removed.

Insurance also helps in small ways, like enabling you to take the kids to the doctor earlier in the course of their nausea/vomiting/diarrhea bug so they can get some nausea medicine and not end up admitted at the hospital for dehydration. Then it covers the cost of the melt in your mouth, sweet tasting nausea tablets for the 6 year old instead of you buying the non-dissolvable ones because they're cheaper and then having to convince a sick, nauseated kid to swallow something.

Medicaid can be tough to navigate and there are fewer primary care providers who take it, but it is SO much better than not having insurance.

I think the OP said homeopathy and chiropractors.

I am not shy about generally my opinions. hehe. But my circumstances are different.

Cancer though, broken bones, any of the above, let's not even discuss childhood illnesses. Why despite the drain it causes on US society would you not have insurance?

The strange thing about the NHS is that we can actually afford to be casual with health.... When push comes to shove nobody drains the system by using it or not. Except when it becomes a distinct and informed abuse of it.

[dairyfreelife]

I think the OP said homeopathy and chiropractors.

I am not shy about generally my opinions. hehe. But my circumstances are different.

Cancer though, broken bones, any of the above, let's not even discuss childhood illnesses. Why despite the drain it causes on US society would you not have insurance?

The strange thing about the NHS is that we can actually afford to be casual with health.... When push comes to shove nobody drains the system by using it or not. Except when it becomes a distinct and informed abuse of it.

not counting now where you must get insurance or be fined, which is stupid as it's still insane prices for people, so not helping at all, not fixing the problems. having pre-existing conditions just will cost you more, a lot more. the cheapest plans still cost thousands before they will cover anything except basic preventive care...need lab work done-prepare to pay for it all yourself. i am rather ticked at the care because i really do not see how this is fixing any of the real problems people have now with healthcare.

but most people who don't have insurance simply just cannot afford it. the premiums are insane for a family that's at or just above the federal poverty line. companies do not provide and they cannot pay it on their own. apparently forcing people who cannot afford to buy insurance to buy insurance will help somehow.

[LittleMama]

We have never been to the ER. We have a local GP Who has seen my husband and my oldest daughter once. He told us to give her Tylenol (no joke, but he is a great doc who we would see again). We've always paid cash. My youngest went to the chripractor twice but usually we just try to eat fresh homemade meals, don't drink soda and try to stay active. We want to be lawful so Medicaid looks like our only option, I just do not know much about it- if it can be used for emergencies only and that sort of thing. We're not ones who would ever go to the hospital for every little thing, so I do not think we would tax the system.

I tried the website but my application crashed and I gave up for right then. Then I thought about our state plan which is emergency care for a low cost so we may be able to budget that in.

This is the first time I have been on this thread in a few days so thanks for not cooking me in the frying pan over our healthcare choices.