Share your ACA signup experience.

[simple girl]

That's it! I'm moving to Florida.

Not all Florida Counties are created equal.

Yes indeed! More challenging in my county to find doctors in the Select network. So I will likely be going with the more expensive Options network or dealing with restrictions of an HMO.

 

[Eucerin]

@Simple Girl,
I agree. One of the things about retire early is to travel around to different places/states, HMO requires referral which is stressful while you are sick and needs care right away. It is better to pay a little more but go see a doctor as you may.

 

[DektolMan]

Also in CT & renewed yesterday with no problems. Currently healthy, no meds etc, high deductible bronze plan to get lowest premium. We have enough money in our HSA's to cover the worst case scenario. It's crazy how the subsidies work. Keeping our MAGI down also because if I go $1 over a certain income limit my premium goes up $1648 per month!

 

[simple girl]

@Simple Girl,
I agree. One of the things about retire early is to travel around to different places/states, HMO requires referral which is stressful while you are sick and needs care right away. It is better to pay a little more but go see a doctor as you may.

Good point and agreed!!!

 

[Sue J]

I think it is an EPO. Which is Basically a PPO in our area. It says PPO on the Card.

In my area we have 41 plans offered through 5 insurers. All 41 plans are HMOs. I don't think I've seen a PPO or EPO in years, if ever on the Marketplace.

As for my ACA signup experience this year, I've done lots of prep work. I have browsed the offerings, played with any income that can be shifted to not taxable for MAGI (Trad IRA and HSA contributions) and picked a handful of plans that would be our options.

I haven't enrolled us yet. I've been dealing with a back pain issue, had Xray, PT, MRI and I have some minimal degenerative disc issues with some bulging disc in the lumbar. My primary care dr. thinks I'm heading toward surgery. Just so happens that her husband is a spinal surgeon at the best place in the area. It's the same facility that did my hip replacement in 2014. This facility is not in-network with our current insurer. She encouraged me to get a "better insurer" for 2019 if I can.

Yesterday I went to a in-network spine specialist. She listened to my history, etc and watched me walk and right away said she thinks it's sacroiliitis (inflammation of the sacroiliac joint). We looked at the xrays and MRI together and she showed my why she thinks I don't need surgery.

She is setting me up for a sacroiliac joint injection (novocain and cortisone) and if it works it's sacroiliitis and not lumbar discs/sciatica.

I talked to the spine specialist about the open enrollment decision. She said she's confident that I don't need surgery for this. Even if I did, the in-network docs and facilities are just fine. Go ahead with the same insurer I have now.

While I believe her and hope I don't need surgery, I'm going to wait until my procedure is done to enroll.

So far, it looks like DH will stay with our current plan (Bronze HSA deductible $5200 MOOP $6650). I will pick that same plan if the spine specialist is right.

 

[Eucerin]

@Sue -
So sorry to hear about your health, whether you need surgery or not I hope you get better after what you deciding what to do. We leave this to the experts.
There are many good doctors within network too, with HMO it is better to stay within network. You need to be covered under insurance, after all it is what the insurance for.
Be well