Any Young Singles with Obamacare?

[Dancind]

Trying to get healthcare for my daughter. Yep, it's up to me, she's off at a convention and isn't answering her phone. I guess Jan. 31 is the deadline for signing up for ACA.

Just realized time is up. Her 26th birthday is in April and I thought she got to stay on our plan until the end of the year but that's false. Just got the letter.

She falls just above the poverty level, could probably get assistance, but she would need to do it. And she isn't worried about it. So I signed her up for Kaiser Permanente Silver. Yes, this is something I am willing to foot the bill for. She supports herself mostly, and lives in another state.

It's a decent plan, and $240 a month seems ok considering what we pay. $30 copays for doctor visits, $3000 deductible. Not bad.

But if you are under ACA, young and single with not a lot of income, would you mind telling me what your premium is? I'm just wondering if I'm making an expensive mistake. All the online calculator sites want my phone number. Thanks!

 

[Marionnette]

Trying to get healthcare for my daughter. Yep, it's up to me, she's off at a convention and isn't answering her phone. I guess Jan. 31 is the deadline for signing up for ACA.

Just realized time is up. Her 26th birthday is in April and I thought she got to stay on our plan until the end of the year but that's false. Just got the letter.

She falls just above the poverty level, could probably get assistance, but she would need to do it. And she isn't worried about it. So I signed her up for Kaiser Permanente Silver. Yes, this is something I am willing to foot the bill for. She supports herself mostly, and lives in another state.

It's a decent plan, and $240 a month seems ok considering what we pay. $30 copays for doctor visits, $3000 deductible. Not bad.

But if you are under ACA, young and single with not a lot of income, would you mind telling me what your premium is? I'm just wondering if I'm making an expensive mistake. All the online calculator sites want my phone number. Thanks!

Your daughter should be covered under your plan until the end of her birthday month. So, she's good until April 30th. At that point, she should be able to go on the exchange (assuming it's still around) and get her own health insurance because she had a life change situation (loss of job, divorce, aging out of parents' plan all count). My niece turned 26 in September and that's what she did.

 

[Dancind]

A little worried it won't be so easy to get health insurance by that point.

 

[cvjw]

A little worried it won't be so easy to get health insurance by that point.

Or it could be a lot easier to get health insurance by then, and a lot cheaper

 

[Marionnette]

A little worried it won't be so easy to get health insurance by that point.

Unless she has a chronic illness, she's exactly the kind of person that the insurance companies want...young, healthy and a relatively low-level medical consumer.

 

[Dancind]

Don't want to get into politics, but not optimistic. Marionette, do you have any idea what your niece pays per month?

 

[Albort]

im 30 years old, currently on a non-subsidized plan. Unfortunately, when i applied with my income(im currently a college student), it sends me to Mediaid. I do not want to go into Mediaid. You need at least 16k income to get one of those subsidized insurance. My uncle and aunt after retiring always have to prove their income every year to qualify.

I pay $332. Anthem Blue Cross Silver EPO 70

edit: should say, im in California.

 

[Dancind]

Albort, that seems very expensive to me! Thanks for sharing.

I didn't want to have her go to Medicaid either, not even sure Oregon has that option. Would be nice if she makes enough money this year to qualify for a subsidy but who knows if that will still be available. At least this plan (and probably yours) will not go away. Though the rates may go up, of course.

 

[powellrj]

My DD is in college and had to go on when DH retired, she pays $192 a month and then she pays $18 a month for dental and eye.

 

[Albort]

Albort, that seems very expensive to me! Thanks for sharing.

I didn't want to have her go to Medicaid either, not even sure Oregon has that option. Would be nice if she makes enough money this year to qualify for a subsidy but who knows if that will still be available. At least this plan (and probably yours) will not go away. Though the rates may go up, of course.

rates jump pretty quickly though. was paying $265 last year. but with ACA appealed, i honestly dont know what to tell u...

 

[eeyoresmom]

I believe it depends heavily on what state you (she ) lives in. My DD pays pennies in Massachusetts. She was paying $10 a month when she could only get part time hours, now she is working full time but makes just under $30,000 (which is low for MA) and pays $80 for a really good policy.....

 

[gottalovepluto]

I typed in 30,000 to estimate it out here in CA where I live and that seems about right for a silver level plan. Also, your daughter shouldn't be taken off your insurance until she actually turns 26 and then she can enroll via special enrollment circumstances- at least that's how it works in CA. This is all so state specific, except when it's not, but it's definitely confusing! ...And now I'm mad about this whole ridiculous system again- Time to go read some Disney trip reports to cheer myself up Good luck OP!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I believe it depends heavily on what state you (she ) lives in. My DD pays pennies in Massachusetts. She was paying $10 a month when she could only get part time hours, now she is working full time but makes just under $30,000 (which is low for MA) and pays $80 for a really good policy.....

Is it a silver policy offered through the state exchange?

 

[Lvsdisney]

I believe it depends heavily on what state you (she ) lives in. My DD pays pennies in Massachusetts. She was paying $10 a month when she could only get part time hours, now she is working full time but makes just under $30,000 (which is low for MA) and pays $80 for a really good policy.....

Mass has their own insurance regulations and they are more socialized than the rest of the US. That's why it's much cheaper than other states!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Albort, that seems very expensive to me! Thanks for sharing.

I didn't want to have her go to Medicaid either, not even sure Oregon has that option. Would be nice if she makes enough money this year to qualify for a subsidy but who knows if that will still be available. At least this plan (and probably yours) will not go away. Though the rates may go up, of course.

Whatever plan you enroll her in, the rate will remain the same for all of 2017. Who knows what will happen next year, given the impending repeal of the ACA. Even if the "sunset" dates for the ACA are after 2018, insurance companies have already come out to say that they would withdraw from the exchanges and not offer policies for 2018 if the law is repealed without a solid replacement plan because there would be just too much uncertainty.

Before the ACA and exchanged went into effect, I looked into a policy to cover me after finishing law school, but before I had a job. I was 25 and healthy with not preexisting medical conditions. The perfect candidate for a policy. I got quotes from several insurance companies. The best rate was for a plan with similar coverage to a silver exchange plan that would have cost me $600 per month. I decided to opt out of coverage because I didn't feel that I could afford that much per month. I ended up with a $1000 ER bill when I got very sick a few months later. I was lucky that it wasn't something more serious.

I have a bad feeling that once insurance companies aren't on the exchanges anymore, coverage, even for young healthy people will be very expensive and many will go without again.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Albort, that seems very expensive to me! Thanks for sharing.

I didn't want to have her go to Medicaid either, not even sure Oregon has that option. Would be nice if she makes enough money this year to qualify for a subsidy but who knows if that will still be available. At least this plan (and probably yours) will not go away. Though the rates may go up, of course.

Why not? Have you thoroughly researched Medi-caid in Oregon? Or simply started by determining if she's even eligible. I'm saying don't write it off until you know you have a full understanding (if you know all about and have chosen you don't want her on it I respect that). Our version, Medi-cal here in CA, is a great option for someone in your daughters situation but I suspect her income would be too high to qualify for such a program? Alas I do not know and would have to research it out. No co-pays, no deductibles, wouldn't turn that down! Best healthcare deal out there dollar wise. But if you qualify for Medi-cal you can't get subsidized health care and our state exchange automatically routes those applicants through to Medi-Cal.

Also, you're buying it for your daughter but don't forget to mention the tax consequences of it all to her. You may foot the bill but if she receives more subsidies than she should have she will be responsible for paying those back to Uncle Sam at tax time no matter who set up & paid the insurance.

Ok, now off to read some trip reports!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I am 30, married, with too high an income to qualify for subsidies. I have a private policy through BCBS of MS with a 2400 deductible. It is $375 per month. By the time I pay insurance for myself and two daughters (my husband's is free through his work), it is much more than our mortgage!

 

[Dancind]

Since I can't get her help on this before the deadline, I went with the plan that would deal with me. One of the ACA agent places called, but couldn't talk to me because she hadn't given verbal permission.

I don't think she's getting subsidies but I don't even know. The agent at K-P told me the plan she is getting is not under ACA. Good because it won't be canceled, maybe bad because it costs more?

If nothing else, there's another open season in November.

 

[havaneselover]

Whatever plan you enroll her in, the rate will remain the same for all of 2017. Who knows what will happen next year, given the impending repeal of the ACA. Even if the "sunset" dates for the ACA are after 2018, insurance companies have already come out to say that they would withdraw from the exchanges and not offer policies for 2018 if the law is repealed without a solid replacement plan because there would be just too much uncertainty.

Before the ACA and exchanged went into effect, I looked into a policy to cover me after finishing law school, but before I had a job. I was 25 and healthy with not preexisting medical conditions. The perfect candidate for a policy. I got quotes from several insurance companies. The best rate was for a plan with similar coverage to a silver exchange plan that would have cost me $600 per month. I decided to opt out of coverage because I didn't feel that I could afford that much per month. I ended up with a $1000 ER bill when I got very sick a few months later. I was lucky that it wasn't something more serious.

I have a bad feeling that once insurance companies aren't on the exchanges anymore, coverage, even for young healthy people will be very expensive and many will go without again.

But they are expensive for young people now because they are subsidizing older people and men are subsidizing women. Before ACA my insurance cost about 3x what my younger male colleagues' policies cost. Now it's only 50% more. Mine didn't change much but there's increased significantly.

 

[wilkeliza]

This is going to be pretty controversial but she is 26 if she doesn't understand she needs to fill out the paperwork and choose a plan by the 31st and pay her first premium then she should deal with the consequences of not having insurance after her birthday. I understand being concerned for her but I'm only 28 and am legitimately shocked at how many of my peers can't meet simple deadlines or complete adult tasks because their parents are still doing it for them.