ACA sign Up

[Tandemlovers]

I logged on this morning and experienced no problem accessing our account. I sympathize
with those who are experiencing problems with access. I did not try to set up alternate
accounts with other email addresses, and used Firefox as my browser. Things have
steadily improved over the two months I have been logging in.

My neighbor successfully established an account in under an hour last week.

I live in Wisconsin which is on the federal exchange.

 

[NW-Bound]

You don't need an account to get a peek. Use healthsherpa or Valuepenguin and find the policies available in your area and the premiums you would pay.

Thanks!

So, I looked and saw that it would cost me more for a PPO plan similar to what I have now without a subsidy. My investment income from taxable accounts is low enough to get me some subsidy, but navigating through the hellish web site as other posters described would give me fits. And then, I do not know how to document my projected income for 2014. If they look at my 2012 tax return, I was still working part-time plus had big cap gains then. My income for 2013 is closer to what it will be in 2014, but it is not yet filed.

Still don't know if it is worth the hassle to save a few $K, compared to just keeping my pre-ACA plan for another year.

 

[MRG]

I didn't have to document my projected income. They just asked what I thought it would be. The only questions after that were if we'd changed jobs since 2012 taxes.

MRG

 

[reubenray]

I click the logon button and it just sits there doing nothing...I think it's getting worst.

I usually get up around 5AM and try the website out then. This morning it worked pretty good and I have most of my plan options back up. It is still showing only the quotes for me instead of quotes for the two of us. There is also a new feature where you can remove your application and start another one.

I am using Google Chrome, but may check Firefox tomorrow also to see if anything is different.

 

[Tandemlovers]

I didn't have to document my projected income. They just asked what I thought it would be. The only questions after that were if we'd changed jobs since 2012 taxes. MRG

Same here. I only had to estimate our income for 2014.
We were asked what the source of income would be, and "retirement income" was
one of the options. I made my best guess as to what it would be, since the breadwinner
will begin retirement next February.
We received a pretty good subsidy, but only time will tell how well that will work out
since we are covering four family members on our plan and for the purposes of
calculating the subsidy, all four incomes will be taken into account once our taxes
are figured out for 2014.
One of the steps I had to take before choosing a plan was to elect to apply the subsidy
now or wait until taxes are settled for 2014. I opted to apply it now.
Should be an interesting year.
Overall, I am pleased with the process and am hoping for a happy and healthy 2014.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I am using Google Chrome, but may check Firefox tomorrow also to see if anything is different.

Try Chrome's incognito format.

 

[bpgdeg1234]

Complete frustration - so healthcare.gov now has ability to remove a stuck application which after 4 weeks of waiting for my frozen app to be resolved I decided to take advantage of this new option earlier tonight.

Everything went fine as you maintain your email and identity verification information from the original application but you have to reenter family and income info. However, when I received our new eligibility notice it incorrectly indicated that we now qualify for Medicaid versus a subsidy as we had during initial application. The income amounts entered were correct and clearly exceed the Medicaid level for a family of four as with the original application but now app status shows as Complete and our info will be sent to the state Medicaid agency.

I looked to see if there was a way to remove this app and try once again but since the app is considered complete this option is no longer available. There is a notice that "if you need to cancel your enrollment, go to your "Plans & Programs" and select 'Terminate All Coverage' from your Plan Details" but as I think everyone would guess the terminate coverage option doesn't even exist.

There are "Remove" selection buttons next to each family member name to remove them from the plan and indicates "to remove someone from a plan, you need to change your application to show they're no longer applying for coverage", BUT as you can next imagine this option then takes you to a "Report a Life Change" screen option which states coming soon and check back next month.

So now I'm not sure what to do as we clearly do not qualify for Medicaid and who knows how long the tech folks will take to fix the change aspect of the application and if that will even work for this case. The 800 number folks were clueless and the first rep said I could always go and appeal the determination which is simply ludicrous at this point having already received a correct prior subsidy determination for same income that was entered previously.

So any thoughts with a "supposed" completed incorrect enrollment in Medicaid is it now possible to still go in and do an entire new application with new email, identity verification, etc. or do we have to wait to change the app or what other option exists?

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[bpgdeg1234]

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

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?

 

[AllDone]

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]

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

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]

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]

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]

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.