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I currently have Blue Cross blue shield of MA through my employer, it is a PPO plan and I am super happy with it however, the premiums are high, I pay around $325 Bi-Weekly for premiums. A Co-Worker suggested that I should shop for plans through Connector Care and they will be cheaper. I applied for me and my family and it was indeed very cheap. The cheapest plan I could get was about $125 a month (Compared to $650 from employer), it is very comparable to my BCBS except this is only "In-Network" and it is a HMO plan, which I have no problems with.
I know this is weird to ask, but when I was in the middle of applying, there was a question about my income, then in parenthesis it said "Subtract any pre-tax deductions including health insurance premiums" so I did subtract the insurance premiums and it showed that I was eligible for certain plans (One of them being the one I explained about earlier). Now, if I send them proof of income, would they do the same thing and subtract the same way I did? Anyone has any experience with MassHealth and Connector Care?
Also, do you recommend I switch and cancel my BCBS? It really is killing my Paycheck
do you qualify for connectorcare? besides income limits the website seems to say to enroll you must not qualify for an employer plan, not that you choose not to enroll in an employer plan.
I currently have Blue Cross blue shield of MA through my employer, it is a PPO plan and I am super happy with it however, the premiums are high, I pay around $325 Bi-Weekly for premiums. A Co-Worker suggested that I should shop for plans through Connector Care and they will be cheaper. I applied for me and my family and it was indeed very cheap. The cheapest plan I could get was about $125 a month (Compared to $650 from employer), it is very comparable to my BCBS except this is only "In-Network" and it is a HMO plan, which I have no problems with.
I know this is weird to ask, but when I was in the middle of applying, there was a question about my income, then in parenthesis it said "Subtract any pre-tax deductions including health insurance premiums" so I did subtract the insurance premiums and it showed that I was eligible for certain plans (One of them being the one I explained about earlier). Now, if I send them proof of income, would they do the same thing and subtract the same way I did? Anyone has any experience with MassHealth and Connector Care?
Also, do you recommend I switch and cancel my BCBS? It really is killing my Paycheck
Thank you all!!
The scenario you described above is very unlikely. You are missing details somewhere. Firstly, an ACA exchange plan will not be cheaper than an employer subsided plan. Most likely the $650 you are paying is only a portion of the employers cost. Usually employers pay 70% and the employee pays 30%. Using that ratio your insurance plan actually costs $2,166 per month.
Connector Care is probably Connecticare which sells health insurance in CT/MA.
As for the "subtract any pre tax deductions including health insurance premiums" that is just a roundabout way to ask for "gross income"
The scenario you described above is very unlikely. You are missing details somewhere. Firstly, an ACA exchange plan will not be cheaper than an employer subsided plan. Most likely the $650 you are paying is only a portion of the employers cost. Usually employers pay 70% and the employee pays 30%. Using that ratio your insurance plan actually costs $2,166 per month.
Connector Care is probably Connecticare which sells health insurance in CT/MA.
As for the "subtract any pre tax deductions including health insurance premiums" that is just a roundabout way to ask for "gross income"
No, Connect Care in MA is MA's ACA/Obamacare Marketplace. What CT calls "Access Health CT".
You learn something new everyday. That however is a very poor name choice for a program. Connecticare came first and I'm sure I'm not the only person to get them mixed up. Makes you wonder who's in charge of this stuff and do they perform any market research before naming a program.
I like that one of the qualifiers is "Not be in jail." LOL
do you qualify for connectorcare? besides income limits the website seems to say to enroll you must not qualify for an employer plan, not that you choose not to enroll in an employer plan.
^^This is the crux of the matter. If OP's employer offers a subsidized plan, he is not eligible for ACA subsidies, no matter how much cheaper the ACA plan is - unless his costs for the employer plan exceed 9.69% of his income for self-only.
do you qualify for connectorcare? besides income limits the website seems to say to enroll you must not qualify for an employer plan, not that you choose not to enroll in an employer plan.
p.s. i don't live in MA
I applied, I entered that I currently have insurance through an employer, it told me that I qualify to shop for a plan, and when I did, the plans were that much money. Should I call ConnectorCare and double check before I get in trouble? I did answer all the questions carefully.
Hi all,
So following up on this. Basically, I did understand the ConnectorCare process for me and my wife, but my son qualified for MassHealth Standard even though I put all the information on the app including his current insurance that I get through my employer.
Now the question is, should I go ahead and drop him from my employer's insurance since he has active MAssHealth Standard? Is there a problem doing that? If I drop him from my work insurance, I will save $150 bi-weekly, that is $300 a month . Does anyone know how MassHealth does things? Every time I am on the phone with them it takes me almost an hour to speak to someone then I ended up being hung up on, or not everyone is on the same page.
Just anxious that if I drop him from my work insurance, MassHealth will also drop him for number of reasons.
Hi all,
So following up on this. Basically, I did understand the ConnectorCare process for me and my wife, but my son qualified for MassHealth Standard even though I put all the information on the app including his current insurance that I get through my employer.
Now the question is, should I go ahead and drop him from my employer's insurance since he has active MAssHealth Standard? Is there a problem doing that? If I drop him from my work insurance, I will save $150 bi-weekly, that is $300 a month . Does anyone know how MassHealth does things? Every time I am on the phone with them it takes me almost an hour to speak to someone then I ended up being hung up on, or not everyone is on the same page.
Just anxious that if I drop him from my work insurance, MassHealth will also drop him for number of reasons.
I would appreciate any help or Guideance!!
The ACA marketplace is called The Health Connector in Massachusetts. It's confusing getting an answer from them. Try talking to the financial person at a hospital. Call the nearest hospital and find the name of the person and then go in and have a conversation with them. I don't know how your son would qualify for MassHealth (Medicaid) if a parent is working and has health insurance. That doesn't seem possible. MassHealth is nearly impossible to figure out and it's almost impossible to get anyone on the phone so you need to give up on that. Even if you do get someone, it's likely they will give you incorrect information. If you speak with the financial person at a hospital, they can tell you what to do, they often have the correct forms on hand, and will even fax them in for you. But I don't think your son will qualify for Medicaid (MassHealth) as that is for poor people.
Last edited by in_newengland; 08-09-2017 at 09:12 AM..
The ACA marketplace is called The Health Connector in Massachusetts. It's confusing getting an answer from them. Try talking to the financial person at a hospital. Call the nearest hospital and find the name of the person and then go in and have a conversation with them. I don't know how your son would qualify for MassHealth (Medicaid) if a parent is working and has health insurance. That doesn't seem possible. MassHealth is nearly impossible to figure out and it's almost impossible to get anyone on the phone so you need to give up on that. Even if you do get someone, it's likely they will give you incorrect information. If you speak with the financial person at a hospital, they can tell you what to do, they often have the correct forms on hand, and will even fax them in for you. But I don't think your son will qualify for Medicaid (MassHealth) as that is for poor people.
Hello, thank you for your reply!! I believe that newborn babies get MAssHealth Standard automatically, and speaking of income, I believe that I fall within the guideline. Plus, when I edited the application, I put everything in accurately and it still qualified him for Midicaid.
PS: I did call and leave a VM for a Financial person at Umass Memorial, hopefully they return my call.
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