How do you pay your ACA premium?

[littleb]

I have been with Blue Cross insurance outside the ACA program for the past few years. For 2016, I signed up for BC through the ACA program in case I am eligible for subsides at tax time.

I received a letter from BC with the option of paying my premium with BC online on their website. No other option was stated in the letter. There is no way I am giving them my checking account and routing number. There system was also hacked this year.

I had many issues in the past with BC and their antiquated system of applying payments. One month I paid 3 times because they could not find my payment. They found all three but I had to hear over and over that my coverage would be cancelled.

Does anyone else with BC coverage through the ACA able to pay by check?

 

[Onward]

I have BC via ACA, and I pay monthly via credit card, on their website.

Actually, for payment, their website redirects me to another website (a bank's) that collects my payment details.

But it seems to work.

 

[audreyh1]

With BCBS of Texas - the first year I had them set up as a bill pay with my bank. I used my policy number. That seemed to work pretty well.

The next year they did automatic draft from the same bank account. The first year I had selected auto draft, but somehow it didn't go through. I guess they fixed that problem the next year.

I'm probably switching insurance companies next year, so we'll see how we do.

I don't like to have to remember to pay recurring bills, so I try to go automatic.

 

[Texas Proud]

Also in Texas.... pay by CC to get the cash back.....


Heck, did not think about that.... but since I am paying 100% of the bill and will wait to get my tax credit back... I am making more than I thought.... so maybe I will not try and have the credit pay for part of my bill next year.... HMMMM.....

 

[photoguy]

Also pay by CC to get the cash rewards.

Frankly I'm surprised insurers let you pay by CC due to the extra cost. Do they have some sort of special deal or do they just eat the processing fees?

 

[sengsational]

I probably should pay by CC to get the bonus, but I have an automatic ACH through my credit union (they use Check-Free under the covers).

 

[littleb]

I was going to call BC this morning to find out about paying by check and I turned the letter over and it had other payment options. The only option on the front page was "give us your banking info so we can take it out". Geez....


Funny, one option is to pay by check which I was told by a Manager at BC to never pay without the computerized remittance because they cannot apply it without sending it to another state and back. Then when I paid by online banking she said never pay like that because it takes too long to apply (ie no computerized remittance).


It seems like most people pay their bills by credit card but I am trying to eliminate my cc being on all these computer systems due to hacking issues.


I told the manager at BC they need to take all the extra money they are making on healthcare and update their computer systems.

 

[scrabbler1]

I pay by CC through the insurer's website (actually, a redirect to a CC processing website, as poster Onward wrote). After reading about many horror stories here about those using an automatic payment system, either through CC or DC/ACH, I opted out of that added feature. So, I go into the website once per month and authorize the current payment for the amount due. I get a little cash back from the CC while not being charged any processing fee and not worrying about the check getting lost in the mail.


Another good feature of not using an auto-payment system is if/when I change to another insurance company I won't have to fear getting billed by mistake because I have to initiate every payment.


Photoguy, a reason they don't charge processing fees might be the savings from not having to receive nearly as many checks and process them. That would include many more clerks and check processors. They don't have to worry about bad checks and their costs, too.

 

[MichaelB]

When we had BCBS (Fl) the only payment option they offered was direct debit. Assurant, which we currently have, charges the CC, which is my preferred method of payment.

 

[audreyh1]

Also pay by CC to get the cash rewards.

Frankly I'm surprised insurers let you pay by CC due to the extra cost. Do they have some sort of special deal or do they just eat the processing fees?

I think ours charged a fee to pay by credit card.

 

[ziggy29]

I had massive billing problems with BCBSTX when I first started with them on the exchange.

From May to December 2013, after my layoff but before ACA kicked in, I bought a short-term policy through BCBSTX. Well, when I enrolled for a Marketplace plan for 2014, it was also BCBS. And because they already had my SSN in their system under my old, expired short term plan, they reused the same member ID... it seems that for a while, my payments were being credited to that lapsed plan rather than my current plan. It didn't matter whether I paid by CC or by bank draft... it sometimes went to the wrong place.

It took quite a few calls to their billing folks to finally figure it out.

 

[ERD50]

I pay by CC as well, but it seems I need to enter the payment each month. I could not find any way to auto-charge this each month.

It looked like you could have it pull with ACH from checking each month, but then I'd lose the [-]2%[/-] (scratch that - I forgot they don't take AMEX, so 1% on my VISA). I guess for ~ $10, I can take a few minutes to have reminders set up and go online and initiate the next month's payment (their interface is decent). About $115 a year in savings, I'll take it!

But if anyone knows how to set it up to be recurring to CC - please share!

-ERD50

 

[Trawler]

We have the insurance company Auto bill our CC and it works fine. Have not had any issues. InHealth Mutual here in Ohio

 

[Trawler]

I pay by CC as well, but it seems I need to enter the payment each month. I could not find any way to auto-charge this each month.

It looked like you could have it pull with ACH from checking each month, but then I'd lose the [-]2%[/-] (scratch that - I forgot they don't take AMEX, so 1% on my VISA). I guess for ~ $10, I can take a few minutes to have reminders set up and go online and initiate the next month's payment (their interface is decent). About $115 a year in savings, I'll take it!

But if anyone knows how to set it up to be recurring to CC - please share!

-ERD50

I set up reoccurring CC payment with billing department of insurance company. It has worked great. No extra cost and get my CC cash rebate!