Health Insurance Marketplace – Confusing Enough?

Health Insurance Marketplace Plans can be very confusing today! Regular questions we hear all the time are:

• What are they?
• Do I qualify? 
• What insurance companies offer them? 
• Can I afford them? 
• What’s a subsidy? 
• Do I have to pay a penalty? 
• What do I do next? 
• What is “Obamacare” anyway?

The Affordable Care Act provides for all Americans to have access to affordable healthcare.  This means no more health questions on the application other than “do you smoke?”  Should you decide not to enroll in a plan, you &/or your family will have to pay a penalty, which is calculated by your tax preparer and paid through your tax return.  The penalty increases each year.  For 2016, the penalties are:

2.5% of household income; or $695/adult & $347.50/child under age 18 – whichever is greater!

Health Insurance Marketplace Preventive Services

Many preventive services are now included in your plan at no charge when using in-network providers, including Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm one-time screening; Alcohol misuse screening & counseling; Aspirin use; Blood pressure screening; Cholesterol screening; Colorectal cancer screening; Depression screening; Diabetes (Type-2) screening; Diet counseling; Hepatitis B or C screening; HIV screening; many Immunization vaccines;  Lung cancer screening; Obesity screening; STI prevention; Syphilis screening; & Tobacco Use screening.

A common statement often made to me is, “I don’t want an Obamacare plan.  I just want a regular plan.”  Well, with the exception of some Grandfathered plans, all new plans sold are now under the A.C.A. guidelines.  The only question is are you eligible for help from the government paying your monthly premium.  When you complete an Eligibility Application and are approved for subsidies, you must enroll in a plan that is offered through the Federally Facilitated Marketplace. We use the FFM in FL as the State of FL did not accept the Federal funds to run a State Exchange.  If you do not qualify for subsidies, then you may choose plans that are available through a broker/agent or directly from an insurance company’s website.  While there may be more plan choices of the Marketplace, they are all still “Obamacare” plans.  All plans are either Catastrophic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum.  Your rates are based on age, smoke/no smoke, zip code, and plan. Insurance Options does not charge a fee to help you complete the Eligibility Application & enroll in a plan, rather we are paid directly from the insurance carrier.

Contact Us For Health Insurance Marketplace Plans & Questions

Insurance Options does not charge a fee to help you complete the Eligibility Application & enroll in a plan, rather we are paid directly from the insurance carrier. Do you have more questions about health insurance? Complete our online request form.