To keep a long story short, I had an excellent health care plan at my last job (which was fully paid for by my employer) but unfortunately I got laid off before I could really enjoy it. The plan from the job I had quit before that was generous, but I had to pay a decent chunk of it (though dental was fully paid for by my employer). After going through a period of unemployment, I am now working two part time jobs that roughly equate to a little under the job I had quit, but neither offered benefits. I waited longer than I should’ve, partly since my first experience with the website was bad and overwhelming, but also since I was waiting to hear back from a job. I am still waiting to hear back, but if I get it I won’t be healthcare eligible for a few months anyway and figured best to get coverage before my trip to the Philippines in February.
The total time it took me to apply, shop for plans, and enroll was about 80 min, and that factors in technical issues on my end (wifi popped in and out). The subsidy was more than generous, and the plan I got allows me to keep my doctor, and is actually more generous than the one I had previously at the job I had quit for a fraction of the monthly cost thank to the subsidy (and still seemed cheaper than what came out of my paycheck previously). There was still room for improvement though.
The correct order should be figuring out the subsidy, shopping for a plan, and then officially selecting the subsidy. The order as it is requires you to make a decision on the subsidy before actually picking a plan.You could do the practice shopping and open it up in a separate tab or window as I did. I also had to look up some concepts on my own and had to consult a turbotax FAQ regarding how this affects tax liability (for some reason I thought the subsidy might show up on this years return, I didn’t realize it would be next year’s until I looked it up on TurboTax). Also the ‘live chat’ feature failed miserably due to delays and volume (though tomorrow is the deadline for February coverage).
When it seemed the wifi would be crapped out for a longer period of time I attempted to use the mobile site-which I do not recommend. Overall a satisfying experience and now I feel a lot more secure about my coverage. It may even help me defray the cost of these shots I have to get.
I cannot stress that my own knowledge of computers and how health insurance worked was invaluable, I wouldn’t trust someone over 50 (my parents for instance) to navigate this and I suspect most people my age know very little about how insurance actually works. I also wish I could opt into keeping this plan if I do end up switching employers, but recognize I likely would be ineligible for the subsidy if I do get the job. It seemed to be fairly flexible in terms of making changes as life changes (more so than Nelnet is for student loans for instance).
Interested to hear others experiences and happy to answer questions for those who still need to sign up.
danfromwaltham says
What plan did you get, gold, silver or bronze?
What is the cost of the plan? What do you pay per month? What are your deductibles and max caps?
Also, at what income level does the subsidy end? I assume you are single?
jconway says
Single, aged 25, living in IL.Household of 1. 168 down to 98 after the subsidy was applied. Silver plan, BlueCrossPPO. I can keep my doctor. Deductible is 1500. I’m not making a ton of money right now which is why I suspect the subsidy was as good as it was, but this should hold me over until I get my next job. Generics are free, brand name $50, co pay is $30 (to be fair $5 higher than my prior employer), emergency room copay is also higher.
danfromwaltham says
Or are the costs split 80/20 up until you pay $1500, then its 100%
When you have time, I’d be curious at what income level the subsidy would end. I read for a worker in TX, it’s $27K, which isn’t much either. I wonder if it’s different depending on where you live? Also, any idea what that plan would cost without a subsidy?
David says
To answer your last question. Read before you type! đŸ™‚
Christopher says
…is what state you are from. When I put in MA I am redirected to the MassHealth site. Applying for that has given me the runaround. I was told I needed to send in more info by a certain deadline. I did so, but then awhile later got a letter saying they were closing my file since I had not submitted the required documents.
jconway says
Can’t speak for MassHealth but is advise you to talk to a navigator over phone (presuming the chat function is as jammed up for you as it was for me). But if they already tossed out the file reapplying night not be an option.
John Tehan says
…as far as being redirected to mahealthconnector.org, but I was able to complete the application entirely online. It was remarkably frustrating, but being a software engineer I gained some insight as to why!
At one point in my first attempt to sign up, the system crashed completely after I pressed submit on a page. The error page said it couldn’t connect to the Oracle database. I’d wager that Oracle is the reason for the long wait times and the crashes – while it is a wonderful database for desktop applications, Oracle is a little slow when performing updates. In an online app with thousands of users, the update requests stack up and it takes minutes or longer for users to move to the next screen.
The problem as I see it is that the company that built the site is not terrific at software development, but they are terrific at winning government contracts. I have no doubt that the system worked fantastically when they tested it, but simulating the large volumes they got in the real world is difficult – nothing exposes your problems like real world use!
After signing up, I got a letter in the mail with a membership ID and an assurance that I am now covered as of 1/1 – I don’t have details on the plan, the costs, the subsidies, etc, but I’ll post them when I get them.
jconway says
Sounds like MassHealth is a bit kinky. Illinois directed me to the federal exchange which was not that intuitive for someone who wasn’t as insurance or tech savvy as me-but definitely wasn’t glitchy either and there were plenty of opportunities to pause and double check before clicking enroll.
I also wonder when you both tried to sign up-one of the reasons I waited besides hope for better employment was to let them work the kinks out.
John Tehan says
That was expensive, so I wanted to see what I’d pay for a subsidized plan through the exchange. I still don’t know, but at least I have coverage, so I let the COBRA lapse.
Christopher says
I’m talking about separate attempts. I tried enrolling in MassHealth during the last open enrollment before the ACA piece took effect. It was in that process that I first got the letter saying my paystubs were required, I sent them, and they were not acknowledged. When the ACA was live I went there hoping it would be something other than going back to the state site. However, I do not recall having any technical difficulties with either the ACA or MassHealth website.