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Okay, so I tried applying via the NY State of Health website for health insurance. It claimed that my info didn't match what they had so I called the "855" number and spoke with a rep. This guy told me my premium (for the platinum plan) would be $500 per month (for a SINGLE person) and a $2K per year deductible. Crazy. This was back in October or so.
I called again in November and spoke with another rep. She walked me through the entire application process, told me the previous rep was incorrect, confirmed everything with her supervisor and said I should have no problems at all. She told me I just had to fax in some info about my income and I should be set. I spoke with her on a Tuesday, faxed everything immediately after our call, and she said to call back the following Monday and it should all be taken care of.
They STILL don't have it and the site is saying "since you are ineligible....." !!! I faxed it three times to ensure they got it because we all know how things get "misplaced" (ie: round file) when you're dealing with any state agency. I spoke with someone again last week (Friday?) and she said they are "backlogged". I said how backlogged could you possibly be?? It's been 3 weeks since I faxed the requested items in. She said they are backed up and there is nothing I can do but to wait.
What is everyone else's experience with this nightmare????
I had to fill it out for my parents and sister because my parents are relatively computer incompetent.
I actually didn't have a single problem. Everything went through smoothly.
I know my friend also had a problem though where they didn't recognize her son so she had to call and since it's around the holidays, it's a bit of a delay.
I have a friend who used the site and signed up through the NY State of health website, and she did have one small glitch which was fixed by calling (back in November). She chose a silver plan for $385 per month so I think $500 sounds about right for the platinum. There are four levels: bronze, silver, gold and platinum so that means the platinum plans are the most expensive.
If you waited til the end of the enrollment period and tried to contact them about some issue with your account, it's not that surprising there is a backlog, especially if you have an unusual case or glitch. The problem is that human nature means that the majority of people will wait til the deadline to do something, and the staff were most likely totally overwhelmed as the deadline neared. The 23rd, which was Monday of this week, was the deadline for those who wanted to get insurance for Jan. 1, as far as I know.
I have a friend who used the site and signed up through the NY State of health website, and she did have one small glitch which was fixed by calling (back in November). She chose a silver plan for $385 per month so I think $500 sounds about right for the platinum. There are four levels: bronze, silver, gold and platinum so that means the platinum plans are the most expensive.
If you waited til the end of the enrollment period and tried to contact them about some issue with your account, it's not that surprising there is a backlog, especially if you have an unusual case or glitch. The problem is that human nature means that the majority of people will wait til the deadline to do something, and the staff were most likely totally overwhelmed as the deadline neared. The 23rd, which was Monday of this week, was the deadline for those who wanted to get insurance for Jan. 1, as far as I know.
Had the original guy I spoke to known what he was talking about, I could have been enrolled back in October! Your friend who is paying $385 --- is that for her only? Or for her and her family? What is her yearly deductible? The woman I spoke to in late November said that $500/mo would have been entirely too high of a premium in my income and situation and that the platinum plan is supposed to have no deductibles.
The only reason I called them at the end of the enrollment period was becuase I sent them all the papers they required and I still haven't heard anything and the site still says I am ineligible.
I'm going to try again next week. Hopefully, it will be straightened out by then!
Had the original guy I spoke to known what he was talking about, I could have been enrolled back in October! Your friend who is paying $385 --- is that for her only? Or for her and her family? What is her yearly deductible? The woman I spoke to in late November said that $500/mo would have been entirely too high of a premium in my income and situation and that the platinum plan is supposed to have no deductibles.
The only reason I called them at the end of the enrollment period was becuase I sent them all the papers they required and I still haven't heard anything and the site still says I am ineligible.
I'm going to try again next week. Hopefully, it will be straightened out by then!
$385 for a single. I believe the deductible was somewhere in the vicinity of $2000 per year (could be off on that). Doctors visits $30 copay, $50 for specialist. Some kind of drug benefits but not sure what.
Maybe the platinum plan does have no deductibles. But that's why it costs a lot. If you want to bring your cost down, check the lower-metal plans, and expect to have a high(er) deductible. No one ever promised super cheap no-deductible plans.
Btw, I believe the price per month for the plans is the same for everyone who is eligible for Obamacare. What differs is the tax credits, so what people of various incomes pay varies after the tax credits get figured in.
$385 for a single. I believe the deductible was somewhere in the vicinity of $2000 per year (could be off on that). Doctors visits $30 copay, $50 for specialist. Some kind of drug benefits but not sure what.
Maybe the platinum plan does have no deductibles. But that's why it costs a lot. If you want to bring your cost down, check the lower-metal plans, and expect to have a high(er) deductible. No one ever promised super cheap no-deductible plans.
It's supposed to be the Affordable Health Care Act. To me, $500/month is NOT affordable nor is $385/month. Tax credits don't help me if I'm not getting the credit until the following year when I file my income tax return! Even if you get tax credits immediately, how much would you be paying? $300 a month? That's a lot of money! Even with the platinum plan, from what the guy was telling me, the prescription costs were outrageous. I have chronic illnesses as well as other medical issues, so I would need the platinum plan and good prescription drug coverage.
Obama made a MAJOR MAJOR screwup with this. He must have thrown together some nonsense and handed it off to someone else. The whole thing is a disaster.
It's supposed to be the Affordable Health Care Act. To me, $500/month is NOT affordable nor is $385/month. Tax credits don't help me if I'm not getting the credit until the following year when I file my income tax return! Even if you get tax credits immediately, how much would you be paying? $300 a month? That's a lot of money! Even with the platinum plan, from what the guy was telling me, the prescription costs were outrageous. I have chronic illnesses as well as other medical issues, so I would need the platinum plan and good prescription drug coverage.
Obama made a MAJOR MAJOR screwup with this. He must have thrown together some nonsense and handed it off to someone else. The whole thing is a disaster.
Actually, I don't agree. This is a really good thing for freelancers. Also I think you may be mistaken about the tax credits. It's my understanding that they are available as soon as you start paying (in your first month). So if you are supposed to pay $385 but your income says you get an $85 tax credit per month, then you will pay $300 per month from the get go.
I guess if your income is low enough then you would be eligible for medicaid.
What were you doing for health insurance before? If you "need" a platinum plan and good Rx coverage now, then you must have had it before and must have been getting it cheaply from somewhere?
Anyone who ever had to pay for their own health insurance through the open market before (not through a job) would understand that these plans ARE actually affordable compared to what used to be available.
Thirty to fifty bucks for copayment??? Why is it much higher than company sponsored Blue Cross?
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