Healthcare.gov/ACA - Has anyone here been able to "enroll"

[shotgunner]

I believe the people who participate in this board are both bright and capable. Many including myself have been reporting their struggles with the Healthcare.gov site. Are we only hearing about the difficulties? Is there anyone on here who has successfully submitted an application and enrolled in an insurance plane with a participating insurer?

 

[Theseus]

Is there anyone on here who has successfully submitted an application and enrolled in an insurance plane with a participating insurer?

Actually got in today and completed my login; last week it got hung up on the unpopulated security question issue. Went through several pages of questions but saved work to go watch some football. Seems to be working much better today, although I was hoping it would be easier to do some comparison shopping. Pricing will be a big part of expenses calc for when to pull the plug and ER so I need numbers for planning purposes. What I did see, prices looked much better than ehealthinsurance, but there were no max OOP numbers for the corresponding premiums to be seen yet. Apparently need to answer yet more questions to get to that point.

 

[NW-Bound]

... What I did see, prices looked much better than ehealthinsurance...

I have spent quite a bit of time on ehealthinsurance, and was not impressed with the premiums, which were $500/month more than what I am paying, pre-ACA.

However, I saw somewhere that the pricing through healthcare.gov will automatically include subsidy, which ehealthinsurance does not allow for. Perhaps that explains the difference in prices.

 

[Theseus]

However, I saw somewhere that the pricing through healthcare.gov will automatically include subsidy, which ehealthinsurance does not allow for. Perhaps that explains the difference in prices.

IIRC there were disclaimers on the dot gov page stating the subsidy would be calculated after completing the application, on which I had not yet completed the income questions yet. Final real-world cost yet unknown to me. The dot com site, likely higher sticker prices aside, seems to be a bit more consumer oriented as far as making comparison shopping quick and easy.

 

[NW-Bound]

Then, is it possible that the price quotes that you saw on healthcare.gov are just some "typical" prices, as I reported in the following post?

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/while-waiting-for-healthcare-gov-68730.html#post1366737

They did not ask for applicant's age, which makes it very suspect.

 

[lovingAZ]

I was able to get "one step closer" this morning on the .gov site. Have been patiently trying a little each day and today the site finally let me complete my application and said I was eligible for coverage, but still won't let me get into the part of the site that shows me the actual insurance policies available to me. When I logged out and back in it stated my application was "still in progress" even though it also showed my eligibility notice.

 

[grasshopper]

I was able to get "one step closer" this morning on the .gov site. Have been patiently trying a little each day and today the site finally let me complete my application and said I was eligible for coverage, but still won't let me get into the part of the site that shows me the actual insurance policies available to me. When I logged out and back in it stated my application was "still in progress" even though it also showed my eligibility notice.

Also in AZ, I made it that far Friday I think, nothing new since.

 

[Sue J]

I just got in tonight, using a 2nd account because my first account is in limbo. I'm actually shopping for plans!!

 

[Animorph]

I know one person has reported in the other threads that they have completed the process and are waiting for the insurance company to now contact them directly. I think there was another person that also made it. Sounded like even after selecting your plan and signing up for it you're still in limbo as to whether the whole process actually worked.

 

[Dawg52]

I have spent quite a bit of time on ehealthinsurance, and was not impressed with the premiums, which were $500/month more than what I am paying, pre-ACA.

However, I saw somewhere that the pricing through healthcare.gov will automatically include subsidy, which ehealthinsurance does not allow for. Perhaps that explains the difference in prices.

I haven't been able to even get started at the ehealthinsurance site. I click on the orange button that reads 'Find Plans Now' and nothing happens. Tried it a week ago and same thing. Between the two sites not working for me, I guess I will be uninsured as of the first of the year. Actually I'm calling BCBS of MS tomorrow to see what is up with the plan I currently have with them. They have mailed me nothing about my current policy and there is nothing about it on their website. Unbelievable with the new year fast approaching, things are so screwed up with something as important as health insurance..

 

[NW-Bound]

I am getting discouraged. See http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/while-waiting-for-healthcare-gov-68730.html#post1366819.

 

[oldtrig]

My wife got in today after many many tries. What a shock we got. Now she has to pay double what she was paying before if we decided to go with the plan. I thought this was supposed to help people who make very little money. Not so. They said we did not qualify because we made to much money. What a joke. According to what I have read we are on the poverty level. I was almost sure we would qualify for help but no such thing. Now my wife has to pay over $600 per month instead of the $300 she was paying. She has never even used the insurance. She turns 65 in five months and I refuse to pay these insurance companies for these ridiculous premiums. This is the biggest joke I have ever heard in my 66 years. [Mod Edit] Add what I pay in Medicare part A and B and Medicare supplements plus if we paid what they tell us she owes it would add up to over $1000 per month. I refuse to pay one more dime and I am not alone.

 

[Katsmeow]

My wife got in today after many many tries. What a shock we got. Now she has to pay double what she was paying before if we decided to go with the plan. I thought this was supposed to help people who make very little money. Not so. They said we did not qualify because we made to much money. What a joke. According to what I have read we are on the poverty level.

Do you live in a state that expanded Medicaid? If not - if you did live in such a state would you qualify for Medicaid? If so, that might be the problem.

The concept of the ACA was that people below a certain income level would receive Medicaid and those above a certain level would get subsidies and those above that would not.

The ACA itself makes expanding Medicaid mandatory so made that the way that people below a certain level would receive coverage. However, the Supreme Court made the Medicaid expansion optional. So, in states that did not expand Medicaid, people with income below a certain amount (100% of FPL? not sure) don't get Medicaid but aren't eligible for a subsidy.

 

[rbmrtn]

THEY DID SOMETHING! I just got logged in for the first time since last saturday.

 

[oldtrig]

qualify for Medicaid.
Not sure but when I logged in I got lost so I called. The person that answered the phone helped me complete the sigh up. He was also lost on why we got no help. I would think if they hired someone to answer questions he should know what to say? He also said it could be because of Medicaid but he was not sure. He told us we could appeal the ruling but what the heck. Five months is all she has to wait until Medicare kicks in so why go to that trouble? My wife refuses to go on Medicaid. It just does not sound right. I have been in the doctors office we use and I heard them tell people they do not accept Medicaid. . You should see some of the people that are on Medicaid now. They are what I call dirt poor. They need help. I do agree with one part of the new law. People can no longer be turned down. If someone told me that I had to insure someone even though they were almost dead then I would probably do just what these companies are doing. Just raise the rates. It is not fair to do that to someone who takes care of themselves and does everything they can to stay healthy like my wife. I am just glad they are not messing with Medicare. That will probably come next. Add up what you pay for health, auto, life, home and long term insurance and tell me how much you got left to buy things. Not much of a way to boost our economy in this new so called law. madoldtrig

 

[travelover]

......I am just glad they are not messing with Medicare. .......

I agree, the Federal government should not get involved in Medicare.

 

[donheff]

I agree, the Federal government should not get involved in Medicare.

shouldn't there be some winkies on this sentence?

 

[marinauser]

Oldtrig,

Why would your wife need to sign up for ACA at all. It looks like she will turn 65 by around March, 2014 and be eligible for Medicare? Perhaps you are just looking for coverage for a couple of months. If so, I would just see what you can find for that and skip the ACA.

 

[RockyMtn]

Set up an account for my GF this weekend on the Colorado Exchange. Went fairly smoothly although all quotes were without subsidy included. Used on line chat and found out the I had inadvertently skipped that section. They reset the account and it now shows costs with subsidies included.

Keep in mind that in Colorado a grand total of 18,000 people have created an account and only 300 have actually purchased.

All in all the site works pretty well. Probably because at this point it is getting very little use.

 

[modhatter]

I can't imagine people would sign up if they are not interested in buying.
Comparing plans takes some number crunching and sole searching. Also, a lot of people are trying to establish the providers associated with each plan offered. Something that has not been forth right. I had my insurance agent in my state tell me they don't have that information and will probably not have it till after the 1st of the year. So many people do not like putting the cart before the horse.

 

[scrabbler1]

I was able to sign up back on Saturday, October 5th on the NY exchange after some slowness and minor problems on October 4th and 5th. (Thanks to some good tips from my fellow ER forumers here, I got passed those snags.) I did get a confirmation screen adn number so I plan to call the insurance company (which happens to be the same company I am with now; my current plan is not ACA-compliant) to make sure my new (Silver) plan will become effective 1/1/2014.