Should not require a degree in Insurance
I don’t know much about The Affordable Care Act except that it is nicknamed Obamacare because our society has the attention span of a litter of contused kittens. Also, apparently it is so complicated that supposedly intelligent and much more successful people than me come to different conclusions about whether it will destroy civilization or simply help some people who need it.
Oh and there is the problems with the website, which I can help you with. The only reason to use the government website is to comparison shop or qualify for subsides. But that can be done the old-fashioned way, by directly contacting different insurers. As of 1/1/2014, private insurers can’t turn down individual applicants, so why not just apply directly?
Insurance companies are designed to make money and the people who run them are usually smart cookies. Having known about Obamacare for some time they probably didn’t waste any time preparing for the day when they would be forced to give everyone insurance. They also have an existing infrastructure that is designed to handle large volumes of customers. So go online or call the insurance companies directly.
Once you’re familiar with the plans and deductibles based on the first company you contact, you can then get quotes for similar plans from other insurers. As a guide, I’ve listed the steps that a friend took below, with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois references. I imagine it they would work as well with human, Aetna and other carriers.
- Explore basics about the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum plans:
http://www.bcbsil.com/health-insurance-shopping-guide/compare-health-insurance-plans - Check whether your doctor or doctors and hospitals are in the networks the insurer offers:
http://provider.bcbs.com/ - Call or use website for quotes and to compare plans:
1-866-514-8044 or https://retailweb.hcsc.net/retailshoppingcart/IL/census?plantype=majormedical - Apply by phone or website:
1-866-514-8044 or https://retailweb.hcsc.net/retailshoppingcart/IL/census?plantype=majormedical
Rinse and repeat for other health insurers.
Here are a couple other sites:
https://www.humana.com/individual-and-family/products-and-services/medical-plans/ (Humana)
http://www.goldenrule.com/health-insurance/ (United Healthcare/Golden Rule)
Use your friend Google to find others:
As for the Affordable Care Act, while I think that any large, complicated government run program is likely to pail in comparison to a free market equivalent, I think it will ultimately work out. The software geek in me knows it will probably be a much later iteration after the politicians on both sides of the aisle figure out a way to leverage the benefits and mitigate the blame accordingly.
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