ACA sign Up

[AllDone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2retireearly I am now thinking I won't be doing the ACA. I also still don't have the 'approval' for a subsidy,even though the phone rep said last week, I should be approved..But,even with painfully waiting for that, I see to get the subsidy, I have to chose a Silver Plan. and those deductibles are huge. I want a Gold Plan. I also see that Vision is not included (at least in the plans I painfully looked at). So my happiness at the end of last week is now replaced with the stress of hoping my past employer will take me back, since I cancelled what I had signed up for last week. Now I just need to search for a decent dental, on einsurance...or somewhere.

You can choose a gold plan and still get the subsidy. It will be the same subsidy as you would get with the silver plan:

"For those between 300% and 400% of the poverty line, the tax credit is amount is based on a limiting the contribution amount to 9.5% of income. The calculation is based on the premium for the second lowest cost silver plan available to them in the exchange, but individuals do not have to enroll in this plan for their coverage. A person who chooses to enroll in a less expensive plan (e.g., the lowest cost silver plan or a bronze plan) will receive the same tax credit amount and they will pay a lower premium. A person who chooses a more expensive plan (e.g., a higher cost silver plan or a gold plan) will receive the same tax credit amount, but will pay a higher premium."

[AllDone]

Also there are cost sharing subsidies:
The ACA’s cost-sharing subsidies

[teejayevans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRG Sorry to hear of those errors. Last week before the 'remove' option existed I created email ids and created new accounts when the site messed up. That would be my next attempt. Also you can request to speak with a supervisor, they seem to be more knowledgeable than the front line folks. Best wishes, MRG

Note: The broke the login button for Firefox on Linux, I was able to login using chrome, then used the remove option, started another application, half way I got

Quote:

Sorry, theres a problem with our system Please log out, then try again after 30 minutes. If you continue to get this message, call the Marketplace Call Center 1-800-318-2596. TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325. You'll need the Application ID shown below.

Sorry, theres a problem with our system



Please log out, then try again after 30 minutes. If you continue to get this message, call the Marketplace Call Center 1-800-318-2596. TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325. You'll need the Application ID shown below.



Sorry, theres a problem with our system



Please log out, then try again after 30 minutes. If you continue to get this message, call the Marketplace Call Center 1-800-318-2596. TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325. You'll need the Application ID shown below.


Sorry, theres a problem with our system



Please log out, then try again after 30 minutes. If you continue to get this message, call the Marketplace Call Center 1-800-318-2596. TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325. You'll need the Application ID shown below.

[2retireearly]

Yay my application went through. I get a subsidy. the plan looks decent. BUT it is asking for documentation to show my 2014 income... Like W2, etc. My income is tiny, as have just retired, using cash and a small amount from 401k (so tha will be my income). So would just a letter of my retirement be sufficient? Need by March...

[2retireearly]

Thanks, there was just so much 'talk' of the Silver when discussing the subsidy. I ended up choosing Silver anyway..not the gold.

[reubenray]

I just went through the "remove" process and now my wife and myself are grouped together again.

I retired last year, but just started to get my SS checks last month. I was not asked to prove my eligibility. My income is also only from my 401k plans and SS.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpgdeg1234 Thanks, I spoke to a supervisor who told me to wait for app change. I'm thinking I may have to proceed with a new email, id, etc. but not sure what happens if already have a completed application out there for Medicaid?

I think that will be the problem. After signing up a second time they will know your information. When you try to apply with the first one completed, it should fail. Sorry I should have thought that out more.

MRG

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2retireearly Yay my application went through. I get a subsidy. the plan looks decent. BUT it is asking for documentation to show my 2014 income... Like W2, etc. My income is tiny, as have just retired, using cash and a small amount from 401k (so tha will be my income). So would just a letter of my retirement be sufficient? Need by March...

My experience:
The system says you may be asked to provide W2 etc. But it never did. How would anyone come up with a 2013, 2014 W2 now? YMMV.
Best wishes,
MRG

[Mr._Graybeard]

I had a private insurance broker assist with my signup. He said the IRS would compare our household income with the subsidy we receive during 2014 when we file our taxes in 2015. Any necessary adjustments will be made then.

[John Galt III]

I have a question for the folks who are recently getting enrolled successfully. Is your selected insurance company aware you have enrolled with them? I enrolled 10 days ago, and my status is "complete" and "initial enrollment", but when I checked the next day, my insurance co had no indication from healthcare.gov that I had enrolled. I am going to call my ins co again today and hope they have been notified. A chat with hc.gov said "don't worry, just wait, all your necessary docs will be to you in time for 1/1/2014." Not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III I have a question for the folks who are recently getting enrolled successfully. Is your selected insurance company aware you have enrolled with them? I enrolled 10 days ago, and my status is "complete" and "initial enrollment", but when I checked the next day, my insurance co had no indication from healthcare.gov that I had enrolled. I am going to call my ins co again today and hope they have been notified. A chat with hc.gov said "don't worry, just wait, all your necessary docs will be to you in time for 1/1/2014." Not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Well, for what it's worth, I think I was notified by my insurer successfully. I successfully enrolled on November 14 (a Saturday) and the next morning I had an e-mail confirmation from BCBS TX. And the day after that (Monday morning), I received a phone call from a nurse with BCBS TX confirming my enrollment and gathering a little more info and she provided more info about the health plan. And last week I got something in the mail giving my group number and member ID information (it was the same member ID I already had for my temporary plan which bridged the gap between Megacorp coverage and ACA coverage). I'll feel more confident about it once I'm able to pay for the first month, but I was told that should be happening on December 7 (seems odd given that's a Saturday, I'd be more likely to believe December 9).

I just need for the ability to make a change in family status to go live. Some year.

[John Galt III]

Update: I called my ins co, at the number that hc.gov gave me, to find out if ins co had been notified of my enrollment. Spent 15 minutes with drone 1, got nowhere, then called another number drone 1 gave me, but I chose an option they weren't expecting me to choose, I guess, because I got someone with a clue! Sorry to be so sarcastic, but I have spent about 80 hours on this nonsense (as have many others, I know !! ) . To cut to the chase, the nice lady at the ins co confirmed they had generated a policy for me !!! I verified my monthly premium amount, too. Will be getting something in the mail this week, she said.

Just for stats, let me add that I enrolled 11/20/13 at hc.gov, and the ins co generated an invoice for me on 11/25/2013. But I got no phone call, no email from anyone. So, from successful enrollment online, to receiving confirmation of same from ins co, would have been approx 2 weeks had I not called them.

Hope this post is helpful to someone, and Good Luck to others who are still slogging through !!

[AllDone]

2retireearly: sorry I got there late with the info. Insurance was hard enough to understand even before these changes. We spent months debating our options even though I'm a PCP(ret.). I hope you stay healthy this year (and every year!) and armed with better info you will get what you want next year.

Kff dot org is a great source of sound, well written ACA info. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there (much of it due to my own congresscritter who would lie to his old granny, if he thought he'd profit from it).
Subsidy calculator for those who don't want to go through healthcare.gov yet:
Subsidy Calculator | The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

One snowy day in early 1995 I found the most wonderful website. It offered the most amazing array of books. I selected some that I had been chasing for years and reluctantly entered my credit card number. When I pushed the "Place your order" button, it crashed. I had no idea if I had ordered or if I had sent my credit card number to Russia. However, they've ironed out the problems with the website since then....

[NoMoreJob]

Our state runs its own exchange. I was able to enroll in a plan in October but there was a hiccup and I needed to re-enroll in mid-November. I then called the insurance company and confirmed that they had my data, which they did. They were unable to tell me exactly when I would receive my welcome packet and insurance card cut would only say they should be mailed out by the twenty-something of December. Since then my initial payment, which in our case is made through the exchange itself and not to the insurer, hit my credit card as scheduled on 12/1. I'm going to call the insurance company again in the next few days to confirm that they've received payment and see if I can get any further details on when to expect my card. It's my understanding that if the card is delayed that I'll be able to go online and print a temporary card on Jan. 2.

It would have been cost prohibitive for us as early retirees not to go through our exchange as our annual cost off the exchange would have risen from about $7,000 per year in 2013 to $13,000 per year in 2014. I have mixed feelings about all this but am grateful that our state seemed (so far) to have its act much more together than the Feds.

[rockymountainhigh]

Finally received my PEAK (Medicaid) denial letter 11/21/.... but it has incorrect info about my kids. Called PEAK they said it was their fault and they would have to re-evaluate the application which would take another seven days. I called PEAK today to see if there was any update... nope they said call back tomorrow. Connect For Health Colorado sent a letter saying I can complete my application for "ACA" and also called while I was out of town last week.

[bpgdeg1234]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bpgdeg1234
Thanks, I spoke to a supervisor who told me to wait for app change. I'm thinking I may have to proceed with a new email, id, etc. but not sure what happens if already have a completed application out there for Medicaid?

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRG I think that will be the problem. After signing up a second time they will know your information. When you try to apply with the first one completed, it should fail. Sorry I should have thought that out more. MRG

I "supposedly" spoke to an Advanced Resolution Specialist today who was also of no use and the final determination was that since the system somehow incorrectly enrolled us in Medicaid that we would have to de-enroll through the state agency before I could get back and redo the application so can shop for healthcare plans.

The problem in speaking with the state Medicaid office of course is that they haven't and won't likely see the application information from heathcare.gov for a while and she indicated it usually takes 30-45 days for the Medicaid office to review, process and ultimately deny the coverage. Until then it sounds as though I likely won't be able to do anything with this enrolled Medicaid application the system incorrectly created for us.

So I'm not sure if creating another email account, ID, etc. under my SS# would work or not since the system may see me/us as having a completed Medicaid application but am curious if I were to create another new application with my wife SS# as primary and the rest of us as family members under her whether that would potentially work? Any thoughts?

[jflynn4]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpgdeg1234 Quote: Originally Posted by bpgdeg1234 Thanks, I spoke to a supervisor who told me to wait for app change. I'm thinking I may have to proceed with a new email, id, etc. but not sure what happens if already have a completed application out there for Medicaid? I "supposedly" spoke to an Advanced Resolution Specialist today who was also of no use and the final determination was that since the system somehow incorrectly enrolled us in Medicaid that we would have to de-enroll through the state agency before I could get back and redo the application so can shop for healthcare plans. The problem in speaking with the state Medicaid office of course is that they haven't and won't likely see the application information from heathcare.gov for a while and she indicated it usually takes 30-45 days for the Medicaid office to review, process and ultimately deny the coverage. Until then it sounds as though I likely won't be able to do anything with this enrolled Medicaid application the system incorrectly created for us. So I'm not sure if creating another email account, ID, etc. under my SS# would work or not since the system may see me/us as having a completed Medicaid application but am curious if I were to create another new application with my wife SS# as primary and the rest of us as family members under her whether that would potentially work? Any thoughts?

Seems the worst that could happen would be it rejecting. No harm in trying!

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jflynn4 Seems the worst that could happen would be it rejecting. No harm in trying!

+1
They won't take away your birthday.
Best wishes,
MRG

[2retireearly]

Hi, the weird request for 2014 Income,was in my Eligibility Letter. I called,and the woman I spoke too, seemed more confused by it than I..which is never a good sign. I asked, 'Would it be sufficient to show them my 401k withdrawal in January?', She, of course said, 'That would be fine'..But,I could tell she really had no 'script' of what the answer is. Hey, it was their letter to me, asking for 2014 w2, or a letter from my Employer (what would that say I wonder, as I don't work there anymore??!). Oh well, I will just sent the withdrawal slip from 401K, with my own cover letter, explaining that I have retired...early...and have a taxable income, of only what I want to pull from 401k. All will see if I was right, when I do my 2014 tax return! But my deadline to get them this info is March, and if isn't what they want,my subsidy could be doomed..
Fingers crossed..all seems to be a 'fun' guessing game.

[M Paquette]

I described in a previous post somewhere that I signed up through CoveredCa.com (the state web site) on Nov 1. The state was supposed to start sending completed applications to the insurers by mid-November. It looks like they did just that.

Last Tuesday my HMO posted a bill to me for my first payment under the new plan. The bill arrived today, and I paid it. So, it looks like I am done, signed up, paid, and covered for January 2014. I spent less than an hour on the whole process. The previous time I bought insurance, filling out the applications including the health history data took about 6 hours.