There are multiple ways to get health insurance for you and your family and, depending on where you live, a wide array of options for health insurance coverage types and cost points. With the implementation of the ObamaCare requirements individual health insurance plans and costs have been transformed dramatically and the consumer needs to exercise great care in making their health plan selection.
My first and best recommendation is to seek out the services of an experienced health insurance agent who is certified to sell health insurance coverage both on and off of the government health insurance marketplace in your state of residence. There can be much more involved in a health insurance plan than what a bullet points overview of the plan's benefits are and its monthly premium. A knowledgeable health insurance agent can explain if a given plan covers you if you go outside its network, if it has a broad or a narrow pharmacy network, if the plan's medical deductible applies per person covered or is aggregated for the family, and a whole lot of other things you should know before making your purchasing decision. Under ObamaCare if you purchase a health insurance plan you later learn you don't like it's not just a simple matter of cancelling your coverage and enrolling with another insurance carrier. So, buyer beware.
If you and your family have income levels below 100% or 138% (depending upon the state you live in) of the Federal Poverty Level then you will qualify for coverage under your state's Medicaid plan. In that event you need to contact your state government's Medicaid office.
Of course, there is the HealthCare.gov web site that you can go to and shop for coverage and enroll online. Quite frankly, while HealthCare.gov has improved somewhat over last year's rocky start, I find most consumers still have a hard time truly understanding the information as it is presented on HealthCare.gov and they still need a knowledgeable person to explain the differences between various plan offerings and how to approach the subsidy process.
Also, there are other online sites available, some with telephonic support to help answer a person's questions. This can be kind of crap shoot though as you may or may not be talking to someone who understands the details of your particular location's health plan options and they aren't doing much more than reading you a summary off of their own computer screen.
So, remember, health insurance is still a very local product and varies from state to state and even within different areas within a state. You will be best served to deal with someone who is more locally based in most cases.
.JPG){kind=avatar}
My first and best recommendation is to seek out the services of an experienced health insurance agent who is certified to sell health insurance coverage both on and off of the government health insurance marketplace in your state of residence. There can be much more involved in a health insurance plan than what a bullet points overview of the plan's benefits are and its monthly premium. A knowledgeable health insurance agent can explain if a given plan covers you if you go outside its network, if it has a broad or a narrow pharmacy network, if the plan's medical deductible applies per person covered or is aggregated for the family, and a whole lot of other things you should know before making your purchasing decision. Under ObamaCare if you purchase a health insurance plan you later learn you don't like it's not just a simple matter of cancelling your coverage and enrolling with another insurance carrier. So, buyer beware.
If you and your family have income levels below 100% or 138% (depending upon the state you live in) of the Federal Poverty Level then you will qualify for coverage under your state's Medicaid plan. In that event you need to contact your state government's Medicaid office.
Of course, there is the HealthCare.gov web site that you can go to and shop for coverage and enroll online. Quite frankly, while HealthCare.gov has improved somewhat over last year's rocky start, I find most consumers still have a hard time truly understanding the information as it is presented on HealthCare.gov and they still need a knowledgeable person to explain the differences between various plan offerings and how to approach the subsidy process.
Also, there are other online sites available, some with telephonic support to help answer a person's questions. This can be kind of crap shoot though as you may or may not be talking to someone who understands the details of your particular location's health plan options and they aren't doing much more than reading you a summary off of their own computer screen.
So, remember, health insurance is still a very local product and varies from state to state and even within different areas within a state. You will be best served to deal with someone who is more locally based in most cases.