For those who left and are Pre-Medicare and COBRA has run out, or will soon, what medical plan did you ultimately decide upon? And cost? Many options!
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@11zql+1rYx2G8w
"@2lat+1rYx2G8w - are you sure you can take both? I’m told it is one or the other."
I believe @2lat said "you CAN'T take both", so you're in agreement ;-)
@2lat+1rYx2G8w - are you sure you can take both? I’m told it is one or the other.
Has anyone been successful at getting post cobra bcbs? Signed up thru Via benefits back in May, got a link to set up payment, got an email confirmation of payment set up. Payment never went thru and bcbs says the confirmation number on payment means nothing, they cant tell us what happened.Marketplace resubmitted application today and told us to call BCBS next week to make sure they received it.
From an earlier thread, I have found Viabenefits to be helpful and informative. I am narrowing my choices so far to BCBS or priority health. There are so many plans that simply look alike. Select, preferred, premium, bronze, silver ,gold, etc.
It’s funny, the HRA benefit sometimes is less than the ACA subsidies depending on if you can scale your taxable income below $50k. You can’t take both (understandable).
We are choosing coverage for June-December, then get to choose again in open enrollment time for 2025.
Be careful with VIA benefuts. They are just a broker and not a good one!
@OP. There are many options because each family has different needs. All health providers have several plans to choose from, so I would recommend you to start by choosing which health provider you want to deal with.
The cheaper ones usually offer a worse experience: delayed statements, lack of answers, hard to find someone knowledgeable, etc. (Just like Ford and VIA, LOL). If you are expecting to deal a lot with health problems, the possibility of a billing mistake or having to call to the health provider increases. If your family are relatively healthy, and not expecting medical issues, then the chances of dealing with the health provider are small.
Another important point in choosing your health provider is if your doctors accept that provider. Many people keep the same doctors for years, so it makes sense to choose a health provider accepted by them. Include in your research also the nearest hospital or medical facility (ER and walk-in clinic, since you may use them).
If you travel, or spend time away from home (vacation home, cottage), then check what health providers are accepted in the medical facilities around. Remember that "out of network" expenses are not covered by your health insurance. Bigger health providers offer more options for health emergencies during travel. For instance, BCBSM is Florida Blue down south and is accepted in most or all of Fl.
Finally, we can start talking about plans. Most health providers offer similar plans, just like GM and Ford have similar vehicle lineups. In general, I would recommend looking at the max deductible amount, or out of pocket expenses. Also the premium and coverage. As I said before, everyone has different needs or wants.
One of my coworkers likes to choose an expensive plan, so everything is covered and health issues would not affect his tight budget. I, on the other hand, like to choose the cheapest combination of premiums and max out of pocket expenses. Here is my reasoning: I am fairly healthy, and my wife's ailing issues not always reach the max out of pocket expenses. Worse case scenario, I'd pay in a year the max out of pocket expenses + the monthly premiums. However, if my wife's health is stable through the year (no hospital stays, not many Dr. visits), I would spend the premiums plus 2-3K, which is less than with a more expensive plan.
I also don't choose dental or vision. I noticed that most dental and vision plans offer coverage up to 95% of the plan's premiums, plus some limitations in how to use it. These plans are worthy when the employer is paying half or more of the premiums, or when you have ACA subsidies, which neither is my case. When you have to pay the ACA plan all by yourself, it is better to pay directly the vision and dental expenses from your pocket, instead of dealing with the requirements of the plan.
At my age, I don't need fancy eyeglasses every year, and there are many cheap options online. I get my eyes checked at America's Best every 2-3 years, but order my glasses online. Please be aware that online glasses require some knowledge and tweaking, so is not for everyone. My wife paid last year $308 for the eye exam plus 2 pairs of progressive eyeglasses at America's Best, which will last her 2-3 years, for less than $10 a month, which is the minimum premium for vision coverage in MI.
Dental is another beast. I still have all my teeth, requiring only cleaning. I already decided that if/when my teeth start falling apart, I'll remove them all and replace them with dental implants. It will be cheaper and faster than dealing with the "torture" my wife is going through. Again, I see it as torture, but my wife prefers it to the dental implants. I am talking crowns and ortho treatments for worn teeth. which in a few years she will have to deal again with those. I am more of the one and done approach. Anyway, most of the dental plans have heavy limitations to the type of dental work my wife needs, so I pay it in cash. Usually that gets me a better price than the one charged to the insurance.
Again, everyone's needs are different. Make sure to do a proper research, and the next years it will be easier, because plans and health provider don't change that much. Good luck!
You can check healthcare.gov and Viabenefits.com for some less expensive options. The deductible will be higher though.
I got another job with insurance.
I also have hobbies and other expenses.