When did it become so @#! hard to find info on healthcare plans?

[motley]

omg. I remember a time when I could go on the net and do a net search and there were sites that would compare plans and rates for you rather quickly with only the most basic of info so you could at least get an idea what your options were. Now? You have to enter 800 pieces of info and a note from your mother to "get a quote" (I'm looking at you healthcare.com, you POS site). News flash, I don't need some legally binding exact freaking quote. Just show me plans where I can say I'm X years old, I do/don't smoke, I live in X zip code, show me plans and estimated costs, including deductibles, co-pays, out of pocket maxes, etc. Why is that so hard?

 

[RetiredHappy]

It is not that hard. Even though I don't buy ACA plan, I have gone to the website many times to price out various health plans. You just have to be patient. It may make you create an email and you will need to pretend that you have a life changing event because it is outside of open enrollment period.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

I can do that through Covered California.
Is there a health care exchange site specific to your state?

 

[disneysteve]

Healthsherpa.com and healthcare.gov or your state’s exchange site all do just that.

 

[Calico]

omg. I remember a time when I could go on the net and do a net search and there were sites that would compare plans and rates for you rather quickly with only the most basic of info so you could at least get an idea what your options were. Now? You have to enter 800 pieces of info and a note from your mother to "get a quote" (I'm looking at you healthcare.com, you POS site). News flash, I don't need some legally binding exact freaking quote. Just show me plans where I can say I'm X years old, I do/don't smoke, I live in X zip code, show me plans and estimated costs, including deductibles, co-pays, out of pocket maxes, etc. Why is that so hard?

@motley
As disneysteve says, you want healthcare.gov, not healthcare.com. Good luck!

 

[Aerides]

healthcare.gov or sherpa work fine for me.

 

[disneysteve]

Just to be clear, you can’t get an estimated cost without giving personal info because premiums are income-based thanks to the ACA. You don’t just want to see the unsubsidized rate. You want to see the rate you would actually pay which can be dramatically different depending on your income.

 

[Trailwalker]

Healthcare.com is like stepping into quicksand. Healthcare.gov is solid ground.

From healthcare.com:

"HealthCare.com is a website domain of Healthcare.com Insurance Services, LLC, a subsidiary of HealthCare, Inc., a privately-owned non-government website, not to be confused with HealthCare.gov. This website serves as an invitation for you, the customer, to inquire about further information regarding health insurance, and submission of your contact information constitutes permission for an agent to contact you with further information..."

 

[RetiredHappy]

If you want to look at pricing for off-exchange private individual health insurance, it's alot harder. After I figured out which company has the best plan, I went to them directly. I am in Nevada and buy my insurance from Sierra Health and Life. Their health insurance plans are much better than the ones available from ACA, Nevada Health Link. All the best specialists and doctors accept Sierra Health and Life but not from even the most expensive ACA ones.

 

[motley]

Healthcare.gov worked. THANK YOU!

 

[GTOMike]

Just to be clear, you can’t get an estimated cost without giving personal info because premiums are income-based thanks to the ACA. You don’t just want to see the unsubsidized rate. You want to see the rate you would actually pay which can be dramatically different depending on your income.

Hello, i know this is an older post, but I'm just starting out on looking at private healthcare. Being a Washington state resident, they have their own healthcare site. My question is based on the income. is that income based on what I expect to withdraw from my IRA savings in the future? Say I retire in June this year, and my income YTD is $75,000 based on salary of $150K. Plus, I plan to withdraw $25K this year, and in future years a combined $100K IRA and Roth IRAs.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Hello, i know this is an older post, but I'm just starting out on looking at private healthcare. Being a Washington state resident, they have their own healthcare site. My question is based on the income. is that income based on what I expect to withdraw from my IRA savings in the future? Say I retire in June this year, and my income YTD is $75,000 based on salary of $150K. Plus, I plan to withdraw $25K this year, and in future years a combined $100K IRA and Roth IRAs.

ROTH IRA withdrawals are not considered income. MAGI counts Traditional/Rollover IRA withdrawals, 401K withdrawals, dividends, interest, pension, alimony, rental income and income derived from work as income.

 

[JOBO]

omg. I remember a time when I could go on the net and do a net search and there were sites that would compare plans and rates for you rather quickly with only the most basic of info so you could at least get an idea what your options were. Now? You have to enter 800 pieces of info and a note from your mother to "get a quote" (I'm looking at you healthcare.com, you POS site). News flash, I don't need some legally binding exact freaking quote. Just show me plans where I can say I'm X years old, I do/don't smoke, I live in X zip code, show me plans and estimated costs, including deductibles, co-pays, out of pocket maxes, etc. Why is that so hard?

Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator | KFF

The Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator, updated with 2025 premium data, provides estimates of health insurance premiums and subsidies for people purchasing insurance on their own in health insurance exchanges (or “Marketplaces”) created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

www.kff.org

 

[engineernerd]

Hello, i know this is an older post, but I'm just starting out on looking at private healthcare. Being a Washington state resident, they have their own healthcare site. My question is based on the income. is that income based on what I expect to withdraw from my IRA savings in the future? Say I retire in June this year, and my income YTD is $75,000 based on salary of $150K. Plus, I plan to withdraw $25K this year, and in future years a combined $100K IRA and Roth IRAs.

Hi, I am in Washington, too, and currently on an ACA plan from Kaiser Permanente. BTW, your "Clarkston" link goes to a small town in Michigan, might want to try to fix that!

Here's a link to the 2024 IRS Form 8962: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8962.pdf
and to the 2024 Instructions for Form 8962: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8962.pdf
Most of what you need to know to figure your subsidy, including the relevant description of MAGI, is on page 3 of those instructions.

The 2025 Form and Instructions aren't out yet but I think the subsidy calculation will follow the same methodology, and the data inputs of Federal poverty level (google it) and SLCSP premium amount (look on the Washington Healthplanfinder website) are available.

 

[GTOMike]

Hi, I am in Washington, too, and currently on an ACA plan from Kaiser Permanente. BTW, your "Clarkston" link goes to a small town in Michigan, might want to try to fix that!

Here's a link to the 2024 IRS Form 8962: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8962.pdf
and to the 2024 Instructions for Form 8962: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8962.pdf
Most of what you need to know to figure your subsidy, including the relevant description of MAGI, is on page 3 of those instructions.

The 2025 Form and Instructions aren't out yet but I think the subsidy calculation will follow the same methodology, and the data inputs of Federal poverty level (google it) and SLCSP premium amount (look on the Washington Healthplanfinder website) are available.

Hey thanks for the info!

 

[gauss]

When I have shopped for ACA health insurance, I found it useful to compare the unsubsidized rates.

I can look to my income tax software and/or IRS form 8962 to determine the amount of any subsidy (PTC) that I may qualify for.

If income is required I would just put in a fictions very high number.

-gauss

 

[engineernerd]

When I have shopped for ACA health insurance, I found it useful to compare the unsubsidized rates.

I can look to my income tax software and/or IRS form 8962 to determine the amount of any subsidy (PTC) that I may qualify for.

If income is required I would just put in a fictions very high number.

-gauss

Yeah, I do that to be sure of getting the correct SLCSP premium to use in the subsidy calculations.

Then, because I have income from a business that is very difficult to predict right up to the last business day of the year, I artificially set my income numbers in the Healthplanfinder to just high enough to avoid getting monthly subsidies so I won't have the hassle of returning them later, and to remind me at what MAGI I should file Form 8962.

 

[Koolau]

If the domain has anything but .gov in it, they're likely trying to sell you something.